Soul Curse
by crimson-obsidian-rose
Summary: A strange batfox hybrid, supernatural powers, and a chain of  events that leads to a horrible end. What could possibly lead to the death of an innocent person? OC Warning...
1. Chapter 1 Amy

Hey guys, guess what? crimson-obsidian-rose is back with another new story, and this time it's multi-chaptered. This story takes place sort of AU, post Sonic Next-Gen where the events of the game still apply. This story is written in first person, alternating Amy's POV and that of my fan character. You can tell whose POV it is from the chapter name.

**Warning: **This story stars a fan character that has abnormal abilities. If you absolutely detest OC's, or if you don't like it when they star/have powers, then this is not the story for you. I'm sorry.

Disclaimer: I don't own Amy, Sonic, Soleanna, or any other names you have seen in the series.

Claimer: I do own Becca, my fan character.

Now, without futher ado, my new fic…. (Edited chapter 1)

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**Soul Curse**

Chapter 1- Amy

'_Wow, it's so calm here, the sun is setting and the breeze is so refreshing.' _I am on the beach, trying to forget what had happened to me in the past few days. I just got back from Soleanna, from my vacation, a few days before I expected too. "Why did I leave early?' you ask. I left because, well, I didn't feel like I belonged anymore. Last week Sonic had saved the world, last week Sonic died, and last week Elise had given him the kiss of life, literally. After that, I couldn't enjoy myself too much, so I left 3 days ago. But things weren't that much better here either. Once I got home, Cream told me that she was moving away. Actually, she moved yesterday. I was the only one there to see her, Vanilla, and Cheese off; Vanilla had to leave urgently and she couldn't wait for the others to return. Both of these memories are still fresh in my mind, and I was hoping that a walk on the beach would clear my mind.

So far, it isn't working. I lift my head and decide to look around the beach; most of the people had already left, only one couple and a girl were left. I turn away from the couple, they were too happy and it hurt to watch them, and focus my attention on the girl. She has huge wings sprouting from her back and large ears stick up in the air, I think she's a bat. She also has human hair, very long, dark black hair that reaches her knees as she's sitting. She is wearing very long blue jeans, a white shirt, and a cerulean sweater-shrug, and I can't help but wonder how she can stand the heat in those clothes, after all, it's practically summer. I look up at her face, which is mostly covered by her long bangs (which reach down to her chin, cover both of her cheeks and part of her eyes, and perfectly frame her face). I look for her eyes and find that they are an icy/crystal blue. Their color is extremely intense, it reminds me of the shining oceans that you always see in those vacation brochures. Wait, is she crying? Tears are sliding down her cheeks, but her lips are turned into a small smile. She is crying though, so I decide to go over and see what's wrong. I walk up to her, but before I can sit down a cloud of sand rises from beneath me. I didn't notice before, but she has a very long fox's tail, and I almost sat on it. I look down again, discover the ground is safe and sit down, but before I can open my mouth, she does.

"_When you love someone_

_And they break your heart _

_Don't give up on love_

_Have faith, restart_

_Just hold on_

_Hold on."_ She sang without even looking up from a drawing she's making in the sand, which is actually just a bunch of lines. But I am completely shocked and totally in disbelief, how did she know what was wrong? I hadn't said anything yet.

"How did you know?" I ask her, curious for an answer.

She looks up and shrugs "It seemed appropriate."

I don't know what to say to that. It is appropriate, and it makes me feel a whole lot better, so I decide to introduce myself.

"My name is Amy, what's yours?"

"My name is… Becca." She answers, but she hesitates before actually saying her name. I find that slightly odd; it feels like she's hiding something.

"Becca, I love that name, it sounds so pretty!" I tell her. I really do love her name, and I want her to feel more comfortable around me. Mostly the first one.

She smiles at my compliment, and I remember why I'd gone there in the first place.

"Were you crying earlier?"

"What… oh yeah, I was." Her voice was calm, she sounds as though she'd truly forgotten.

"Why? Are you okay?" I ask, but I'm more confused than alarmed.

"Yeah, it was just one of those times when, you know, you get so lost in your thoughts that the tears can't help but fall. Please don't worry!" She says. It's the strangest reason I'd ever heard, but it also makes a lot of sense. And the way she asks me not to worry reminds me of Cream. God, I miss her. I must have gotten a sad look on my face because when I turn to Becca she is frowning. Then she looks up at the sky and stands up.

"Whoa, the sun's gone. Sorry Amy, I have to go now, but I'll see you again, right?" Her voice sounds naive and slightly child-like. She is looking at me innocently too, waiting for my answer.

"Definitely." I answer, and she smiles, relieved. She is very strange; she went from sounding philosophical to being a little kid again. She nods her agreement and begins to walk away, her wings slightly curved at the ends as though they were about to wrap themselves around her arms.

'_It feels like she's hiding something… something important… and I want to know what it is.'_ I think as I watch her leave, and then I get up to return to my apartment.

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So, what'd you think? I really want to thank azngirlchibi and Mentor Donatello for pointing out the error in the tenses.

The next chapter will be the same as this one (aw) but from the POV of the mysterious Becca. Tune in!!!


	2. Chapter 1 Becca

Okay, I'm back with chapter 2 of "Soul Curse". I got two replies that both mentioned my inconsistent tense and I want to apologize for that. I will go back to chapter 1 and fix it and I will try to make sure not to repeat the same mistake again. I was also told that Becca seems confusing and, again, I seriously apologize. This chapter is a repeat of chapter 1 and it's from her point of view and hopefully this clears up some of the confusion. If not, I hope that later chapters will.

I also want to apologize to anyone who feels the entire story is confusing or focuses on lesser details while leaving greater ones in the dark. I am trying (for the first time) to create some suspense and it's not one of my strong points. Thank you for bearing with me. Now for the first chapter from Becca's POV.

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Chapter 1- Becca

I am sitting on the beach, my legs stretched out in front of me and my tail resting on my right. The sun is setting, but I'm not paying attention to the stream of colors in the sky. I'm too busy watching her, the girl Narcissa told me about before. When Narcissa had told me about her, I was disbelieving, but now here she is, walking along the shore. She looks deep in thought and obviously isn't too happy. And unfortunately I know what's upsetting her.

I've known since she first arrived on the beach. Once I spotted her, my eyes locked onto her and my ears perked up, but for the first time I didn't stop them. She was different, I noticed that right away. Like most people, she had the negative emotions and memories that, to her, were horrible. But unlike most people, she had attached a positive emotion, happiness, love, care, to every single one of them. No matter how bad the circumstance was she was positive. Every single time. I never met a person like her, and I understood why Narcissa had asked me to protect her. Her soul had a power that no one could've imagined and a rarity like that is coveted by others. But right now, she's wallowing in not-so-happy events that had happened to her.

Wait, why is she coming over here? I must have done something to attract her attention. Looking at her face I can see she is worried and I hope I haven't done anything to trouble her more. I start to draw lines in the sand with my finger so that it doesn't look like I'm staring or waiting for her to come here, in case she's not coming to talk to me. But she does come beside me, and when she starts to sit I remember that my tail is right beneath her and quickly swipe it away. The resulting gust of sand startled her; I guess she didn't notice it. All this time I've been thinking, her present situation was clear in my mind. She started to open her mouth, but before she got a chance to speak, I started singing.

"_When you love someone_

_And they break your heart _

_Don't give up on love_

_Have faith, restart_

_Just hold on_

_Hold on."_

She looks up at me, her face disbelieving. Actually, I can't believe I did that either. I've never done anything that spontaneous before, no matter how many times I've wanted to help others.

"How did you know?"

"It seemed appropriate." I answer as I shrug. I don't want to tell her just yet, I not even sure if I want to help her yet. She remains silent for a moment before she introduces herself.

"My name is Amy, what's yours?"

"My name is… Becca." I answer. I make the mistake of hesitating before I give my name, but this is the first time I've ever told someone the name I chose as mine. I not sure that it fits, but I refuse to be called by my real name.

"Becca, I love that name, it sounds so pretty!" She compliments, and I smile, blushing a bit. I've always been grateful for my long bangs; it keeps most of my face invisible to others, and because Amy is beside me she can't see my cheeks. But she does see my smile and it must have jogged her memory, for her next question was,

"Were you crying earlier?"

"What… oh yeah, I was." I answer. I hadn't realized I was tearing up, but that often happens when I meet someone new. And Amy was definitely new. My voice was very calm, I think it confuses her.

"Why? Are you okay?" She asks.

"Yeah, it was just one of those times when, you know, you get so lost in your thoughts that the tears can't help but fall. Please don't worry!" Well, it's mostly true; I never actually lied, I just left out part of the truth. As for how it sounds, well, I am counting on Amy to understand. She seems like the kind of person who would.

I guess she does because she doesn't ask anymore questions. I look up and find that the sun was almost gone. I know I have to see Narcissa tomorrow; I can't put it off now that I've met Amy; and it's going to be a long train ride to her house. So I stand up and say "Whoa, the sun's gone. Sorry Amy, I have to go now, but I'll see you again, right?" I sound like a kid asking the question, but I guess that's what I am.

"Definitely." She answers and I smile. Nodding my agreement, I turn around and walk away.

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There, I hope that's an improvement on chapter one. I realized I had a lot of tense mistakes in this one too before, so thanks to azngirlchibi and anonymous reviewer Mentor Donatello for helping me correct that error. And please, any constructive criticism is appreciated and will be taken into account (basically it means review). 


	3. Chapter 2 Becca

I'm back with the third chapter of "Soul Curse." I want to get straight into the chapter, but first I want to thank all of the reviewers and readers of the story. You guys are awesome. And remember, I love constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: Hang on a sec; I do own all the characters in this chapter (except for the references to Amy Rose at the end). Go me!!!

Read on, fanfic lovers!

Chapter 2- Becca

I can't believe that I'm back here, in front of the house of the only person in the entire world that I hate. I can't believe I'm standing in front of her door, ready to knock and let her know I'm here. I shake my head, this isn't the time for disbelief, I'm here and I might as well get this meeting over with. So I knock and wait for her to come. The door opened a few seconds later and an old woman, a raccoon came to the door.

"Ah, I was expecting you Rosabella." She says and I can feel my back stiffen. I hate my real name and have asked her many times not to use it. But she's smiling; she is enjoying making me mad.

"My name is Becca." I remind her for the millionth time, keeping my voice as calm as possible.

"You met her, haven't you?" Her smile is wide and warm; most people would think she is a kind person, but she's taunting me with that smile. I decide not to answer, it's too obvious. Narcissa gets the hint and says "Come in sweetie."

I follow her inside and find the living room the same way it was when I left. I don't even think it's been cleaned, there's dust on everything in the room, except for the couches, so I sit on one of them. Narcissa sits down on the other couch and I look to the table. The same stuff as usual occupies the space, a book larger than a dictionary and a crystal ball. The book was opened to a random page in the center with a red ribbon going down the middle as a bookmark. The crystal ball was filled with fog. Finished with my observation and deciding I should say something since Narcissa was waiting, I start "Narcissa, what will happen if I don't help her?"

"Look here…" She answers, her hands swirling over the crystal ball. It starts glowing and I can see an image form in it. The ball is showing the image of a rose, a beautiful pink color with a handsome dark green stem. The petals are perfectly shaped and the rest of the rose is as well. Then, a small, white orb comes out of the center of the rose and vanishes above it.

Then, the stem begins to wither away and the petals slowly begin to lose their shine. Soon enough, the petals fall off, one by one, and eventually there is nothing left of the rose but a brown wobbly stem and a single dried brown petal.

It has died.

The image fades and soon only fog fills the crystal ball again. I find that my eyes are wide and my pulse is a little too high.

"So, will you help the girl, or run away again?" Narcissa asks. She is watching me, and I am still watching the smoke move in the crystal ball.

"Yes, I will."

"Good girl, you're free to go now."

Glad that I no longer have to spend another moment in that house, I rise and leave without another word.

'_There is something strange about that woman, why does she lock up her soul? What is she hiding?' _I think as I walk away, but the thought is soon replaced with another one.

_**Amy Rose is inches away from her grave and I am the only one who can help her now.**_

Not one of the best chapters in the story, but it is important. The next chapter is a filler (aw man) but after that something huge will be revealed. Hope you tune in!


	4. Chapter 3 Amy

I'm back with Chapter 4 of "Soul Curse" (well, technically, it's Chapter 3). This is, sadly, a filler chapter, but I hope everyone stays tuned because the next chapter is massively important. You're finally going to learn what exactly the mystery of Becca is. I'm so excited, even though I know what it is. But first, you'll have to get through this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the fox-bat hybrid Becca.

This chapter is dedicated to azngirlchibi and RikkuMcClowFox, two very faithful reviewers and awesome authors.

Chapter 3- Amy

I am currently walking down the streets of Station Square, although my destination is now unknown. Actually, I can't help but remember an event that took place only a few days ago, a happy one.

_Amy Rose was walking down a sidewalk, suitcase in hand and a backpack on her shoulders, headed to the train station. She was too distracted to notice 2 very familiar creatures walking on the same sidewalk in the opposite direction, but they noticed her._

"_Hey Amy, why do you have your bags?" Tails asked her with a puzzled look._

"_I'm going home guys; I think I've had enough vacation." She had answered._

_This earned her a sad expression from Tails and a slightly concerned one from Knuckles. They both knew what was wrong._

"_This is about Sonic and Elise, isn't it?" Knuckles asked calmly._

"_No, it nothing. I just want to get back to Station Square, I guess I'm homesick." Both boys knew that Amy was lying, they had seen how reserved and quiet she'd been around Sonic the past few days, even Sonic himself had noticed. _

"_Come on Amy, please stay just a few more days and we'll all go back together." Tails pleaded, but Knuckles put his hand on Tails' shoulder. _

"_Do you want us to take you back?" Knuckles asked Amy._

"_No, I'll be alright. Thanks so much you guys." Amy said, hugging Tails, then Knuckles. "Bye."_

'_My friends are the best…' _I think. Those guys are so amazing, and I never realized how boring Station Square is without them, and Sonic.

"Amy!" I hear a voice call my name, but I'm not sure who it was. It does sound familiar though, so I turn around and am surprised to see it was from Becca.

"Becca! I was starting to suspect I wouldn't see you again."

"I was busy the past few days, but I try to always keep my word." She tells me. I notice that she is still wearing long clothing, even though it's almost 85 degrees out here.

"Don't you get hot dressed like that?" I ask.

"Don't worry Amy, I'm used to it." She says, but I still think it's way too warm to be wearing pants and a sweater. I am getting warmer just looking at her.

"I have an idea; I'm going to take you shopping for a summer outfit." I say, smiling.

She remains silent and the look on her face tells me she isn't too willing to go, but in the end, she says

"On one condition: I get to choose a new outfit for you as well."

"It's a deal." We shake hands and I lead her to the Station Square mall. Once we get there, it's obvious that Becca is extremely modest. She dislikes anything and everything that draws attention to her and doesn't look too happy with any of the clothes I pick out for her.

"I'd like to ask for another condition." She says after the third failed store.

"What?"

"Each of us gets to make one condition about our outfit."

"Deal." We shake again and go back into the stores. My condition is that my outfit had to be red; hers is that her upper arms and her legs have to be covered. I'm not too happy, that cuts out most of the items I want to get her, but I can tell that she's sacrificing her preference for me and I decide to do the same.

At the end of our shopping spree we each come out with a new outfit.

"Wow Becca, this is so amazing, I love it!" I really do love what she chose for me. I am now wearing a strapless crimson dress that goes down to my knees with a single white ribbon tied around the waist and hanging down the side of the dress, a white short-sleeved shrug, and red and white sneakers.

Becca blushes and says "Your welcome, and thank you too, this is really nice."

I did a very good job, if I do say so myself. Becca is now wearing a cerulean halter top (with a white shirt underneath it to meet her conditions) and a denim skirt (with white leggings that reached her ankles beneath it) and blue and white sneakers.

As much fun as we had today, I still can't help but feel like there was still a secret between us. I don't expect for us to be so close that we knew everything about each other, after all, we only met twice, but I feel like Becca is hiding something huge.

"Becca, is everything alright?" I finally ask as we are walking back to my apartment. I can feel her stiffen beside me and she hesitates a moment before answering.

"Wait till we get to your house, then I'll tell you everything." Becca answers and I can feel the nervous energy coming off of her. I turn and look at her, but her face is obscured again by her hair, because she is currently looking down. Her eyes are so focused on the ground that I feel like she's inspecting the sidewalk for ants. I quicken my pace, hoping to get home sooner, but I stop when I realize I am half a block ahead of her.

Once we step into my apartment and I lock the door behind us, I turn to my companion.

"So," I ask. "What's up?"

You may be asking why I even wrote this chapter. The answer is because I wanted to show something of a friendship forming between the main characters before the bomb is dropped. I mean, if you had a very personal secret, you wouldn't tell just anyone, so the two have to become friends first. Thanks so much for reading and Becca and I would love it if you left a review.


	5. Chapter 4 Becca

Yes, crimson-obsidian-rose is back with another chapter. This is by far my favorite and I hope you all enjoy it!!

Disclaimer: I own Becca and only Becca.

Chapter 4-Becca

I look up at the hedgehog to see her jade eyes are looking right at me. She is anticipating my answer; I expected that, along with her impatience. What I hadn't been expecting, though, was that her gaze, although impatient, was gentle. She wants to hear my answer, but she's going to wait until I'm ready to say it, weather it kills her or not. This makes me feel a bit more comfortable and I decide _'it's now or never.'_

So I take a deep breath and turn away from her, my gaze focusing upon the couch beside me. My finger finds the dolly she has on the arm and begins to pick at it.

"Amy, please promise me that… that you'll believe everything I'm about to tell you… no matter how crazy it sounds." I can feel the urgency in my voice and I hope Amy can feel it too. If she doesn't believe me now… I don't want to think about it.

"I'll believe you." Amy assures me with such sincerity in her voice I have to believe her.

"I was born with… strange powers." I can't bring myself to say it; it's the first time I've ever told anyone and I had absolutely no clue what I was doing. My mind was filling with words and thoughts so quickly my head started to ache, and I could feel tears form in my eyes. I refuse to blink them away.

"What kind of powers?" She asks. Her voice is tender, she isn't forcing me to go on, she's helping me to.

I take a deep breath and say it before I lose the nerve I just acquired. "I was born with the ability to read people's souls."

I almost heave a sigh of relief; it feels so good to have gotten that off my chest. All that's left now is for her to believe me. _'Please don't discourage me.'_ I pray. But the room is absolutely silent after I speak; it feels like even the air stopped moving at my confession. Now it just hangs between us, heavy with my words. After 5 minutes of the silence I look up at the hedgehog.

"Amy?" I ask. She is looking at me, her eyes wide and scanning my face as for some sign. She's probably expecting me to come out and say it was all a lie or that I was hired to play a prank on her and she will end up on TV. Now the quantity of tears in my eyes is so great I can no longer control them and they begin to slide down my cheeks, leaving warm streaks in their path. I remember what I had told Amy the day I met her, about why I had been crying, and I realize that now I had a much more real reason to be tearing. Amy still hasn't said a word; her eyes are still scanning my face. What is she doesn't trust me, what if I just jeopardized a potential friendship with the kindest person I've ever met.

"So that's why you were crying the day it met you, wasn't it?" She finally asks, and for a second I'm thrown off guard. That isn't what I was expecting to hear.

"Yes, your heart was broken. Not only can I read a persons soul, I can hear and feel it too." I can see tears forming in her eyes too now. Maybe I shouldn't have told her, it would have been for the better if I just a normal friend. But I'm not normal, I'm a freak, and I can't change who I am. Even if I had pretended that I was normal, I'd be lying to Amy, the first person who actually became my friend. At least, I hope she's my friend.

Wait, what the…? I was so lost in thought, I hadn't heard Amy come over here and now her arms are wrapped around my shoulders tightly. Normally I'd push her away, it's the first time I've been hugged since the day I met Narcissa and I'm not used to the contact, but her hug feels so… comforting. She's not degrading me, she's not looking at me differently because of my… condition, no. For the first time in my life, I'm being hugged because I have a friend, a person who doesn't care that I'm different. Then she pulls away and leans against the couch arm beside me.

"Becca, what do you mean by feeling and reading a persons' soul?" She asks through her tears.

"A beings' soul is the source of their life. Everybody has one, but everyone's is different. The difference in people's souls is caused by the same thing that makes your personality different; your emotions and your past. When I 'read' a persons' soul, I'm looking at the most emotional experiences of their pasts. So, basically, I'm looking at all the emotions that shape who you are. But not only can I see it, I can hear all that was said and I can feel every emotion that you felt while you were going through the event." I explain, trying to fit in as many details as I can so that she can understand exactly what I meant and, hopefully, not be confused.

"This happens every time you see someone?" She asks, now with a voice that expresses some amazement.

"Luckily, no. It only happens the very first time I meet someone, and after that I can read them by choice." After that silence fills the room again. I take a deep breath and begin again.

"Amy, listen…" I start. The whole reason I told her about my power now is to warn her about the impending doom, and the soon she knows the better.

"Yeah Becca?" She asks, making eye contact with me yet again. Her eyes are piercing into mine and the words die. For some reason, the jade intensity of her irises stops me from continuing. Then I remember the eyes are the windows into the soul; looking straight into them shows you all you need to know about a person, as long as they allow you to see inside. Her eyes were so warm and welcoming they un-nerved me.

"… Thanks for being so kind." I change my mind, I will tell her later.

"That's what friends are for."

So there it was the best chapter is in my opinion. You guys know how I update quickly? Well, don't get too used to it, because I'm starting to slow down. Sorry, I'll try to work as quickly as possible, but I want this to be good. And I'm taking suggestions, so if you have an idea on what should happen in the story, tell me in a review and I'll see if it will work with the plot. Review please!!


	6. Chapter 5 Becca

I'm back with Chapter 5!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything except Becca.

Enjoy!

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"Hey Becs, do you think we could go to the Mystic Ruins today?" Amy looks up from her book and asks me. Again we are sitting in her apartment, which is a place I've come to find myself everyday. It's really comforting, I think as I look up from my sketch. The walls are painted a very light shade of pink, so light that it appears almost white, making it very simple and calm. The room is decorated very simply as well, a couch, 2 armchairs, a television, and a coffee table. The couches are crimson red with off-white arms and made from a soft to the touch fabric. One of the armchairs is pale red and the other off-white. The table is made from a mahogany wood and it's extremely handsome. But more than just the room's decorations is the feel of the room. The smell of vanilla and cinnamon fills the air (thanks to a plug-in air freshener) and it feels so warm and comforting. It's the only place I've ever been to that actually feels like a home.

"Why?" I ask, wondering when Amy had started calling me 'Becs'.

"Well, my friends are coming back from Soleanna and I wanted to go meet them." Amy answers. "And I was hoping I could introduce you guys."

"Hey, should she have long hair or short?" I ask, pointing my pencil at my paper. Amy, who is sitting on the couch above me, (I am sitting on the floor) leans over my shoulder and looks at my page.

"Hmm…Short. So, you wanna come?" I can hear the silent pleading hidden in her voice and I know she really wants me to come. Actually, I was going to say yes from the beginning, but I was (and still am) hesitant.

"Sure, I'll come." I can almost hear her sigh of relief and I can definitely tell she is beaming, even though I'm not looking at her. I am looking at the picture I just finished, a girl in a long gown with a large rose as the background. With the short hair Amy had suggested, she looks a bit like the hedgehog herself. Odd, yes, but at least the resemblance isn't too great. That'd be scary.

"Great, I'm sure you guys will be awesome friends!" I can't help but smile, Amy is very optimistic.

"Well, should we leave now?" I ask, placing my sketch book down beside me.

"Let's go!" Amy's optimism is clear, she is pretty much bouncing out of her sneakers. She grabs me by the arm and drags me out of the apartment, almost forgetting to lock the door behind us.

Right now we're sitting on the train headed to the Mystic Ruins and our car is almost empty. The only other person in here is asleep, and I can't help but wonder if he slept through his stop or if he's headed to the Ruins. As for Amy, she's still excited, tapping her heels together to release some energy. I lean back in my seat. I wonder why Amy even left her friends behind when she obviously loves them this much. I mean, I know that her heart was broken, but… I just don't get it.

This thought sticks in my head for the rest of the train ride and by the end I come to this conclusion: Maybe I don't get it because I haven't even been in love myself. If that's the case, then I guess I'll never understand. Love is for people, not freaks.

"I can't wait for you to meet the guys!" Amy squeals as we walk up to a huge building in the middle of the bunch of trees. She's obviously excited, but I'm more apprehensive than anything. I mean what if they don't like me, or if I do something stupid, or my powers cause problems. I'm positive, though, that they're nice, because Amy couldn't be friends with anybody mean. No, wait, scratch that, Amy could be friends with anyone. Before my train of thoughts can continue, a voice calls out "Hey, Amy!"

"Tails!" Amy exclaims as she runs up to the building. Now I am close enough to it that I can see three guys standing around a plane. The plane looks really cool and I can't help but wonder who built it and how he (or she) did it.

"I missed you guys." Amy says as she hugs her friends. Soon I'm standing only feet away from the 4 and I can actually see them all now. The one closest to me is a yellow fox who, oddly, has 2 tails. Instantly my ears straighten and before I can help it I'm looking into his soul. I force my ears down against my head and turn my eyes away from him and onto the dirt floor in hopes of stopping my powers. This is my natural reaction to my powers; it has been since I can remember. It only has a small effect, once I start looking into someone's soul it's almost impossible to stop. I see a lot of things, a younger version of the fox being pushed into the mud by a bully; the same bully smashing a model plane while 2 other kids hold the fox back; creatures that I believe are the fox's parents lying on hospital beds. But I also see the young fox meeting a younger version of the hero, Sonic; the fox surrounded by a group of other animals, Amy included…

But not only am I seeing these the images, I'm hear their words and feeling the emotions; the sobs, the screams, the laughter; and I can feel the sadness, the numbness, happiness, friendship.

'_No,' _I think _'I've got to stop…'_

Eventually the memories do stop and I can feel my surroundings again. When I look up this time, I look at another creature, a red echidna with a hard face. Again the emotions and memories rush into me, and I'm relieved that most of them are less depressing than those of the fox. I can tell that he is a lot less social; actually, he's a loner. Like I was, I guess. Or still am, I'm not too sure.

The third creature is sitting on top of the plane and I immediately recognize Sonic the Hedgehog. This time, when my ears perk up I place my hands over them to flatten them, and the only thing I can think is that this is intense. I won't go into what I see, though, I think I'd much rather forget it all. It's not like its all depressing or anything, but it turns out the hero is a lot more emotional than he lets on.

"Becca…Becca, are you alright?" I can hear Amy's voice call as the rush of memories ends, and I realize how strange I must look with my hands pressing my ears into my skull and my eyes scrunched tightly under my bangs.

'_This is probably the reason you lack friends…'_ My mind reminds me. I shake my head clear and look up to Amy's worried face.

"I'm fine." I force a smile to comfort her and it seems to work. She smiles back and introduces,

"Guys, this is my new friend Becca, Becca, this is Tails, Knuckles, and… Sonic."

I can sense her voice getting softer when she reaches the last name, and I know it's not a happy tone.

"Hey guys…" I say, putting my hand up and giving what I call 'half a wave'.

"Hello Becca!" The fox, obviously Tails, answers with a smile. He reminds me of Amy, the way he seems eager to make friends.

Sonic the Hedgehog jumps off the top of the plane and ends up right beside Tails.

"Hey."

Knuckles doesn't say anything, but when I turn to him I can see him nod sharply, and I, taking that as a 'Hello', nod back.

Then I look back up at the plane behind them, the beautiful style, the clean condition, it looks really amazing.

"Hey, did one of you guys build this plane?" I ask.

"Tails did it." Amy answers. "Isn't it amazing?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful." I compliment and I can see a slight blush creep on Tails' cheeks. "How'd you do it?"

"It's nothing special." He says, but I know it is.

"Does it have a name?" I ask.

"Yeah, it's the Tornado."

"Very nice."

After that it got quiet among us, until Knuckles walks past us and says "I've got to get back to the Master Emerald, will you be alright Tails?"

"Sure, bye Knuckles." Again the echidna nods and he walks away. It is then that I notice Sonic was no longer around. I didn't notice him leaving earlier, but I can tell Amy did and it doesn't take a genius to notice she's not very happy about that.

"Sorry Tails, but we have to go now because we… have library books due today." I'm a horrible liar and I despise doing it, but the sad curve of Amy's lips and the downcast eyes on her face tell me she needs someone to talk too. I grab her arm and she looks up, a face smile carelessly placed on her face now.

"Okay, bye guys." Tails agrees with a nod.

"Bye Tails." Amy says as the 2 of us leave.

* * *

So what'd you think? Leave a review and tell me! 


	7. Chapter 6 Amy

I'm back with chapter 6! Thanks so much to azngirlchibi and RikkuMcClowFox for faithfully reviewing each chapter of this story and giving me constructive criticism to help me improve. You guys are awesome.

My disclaimer is in the last chapter.

Without further ado,

* * *

I don't think I've ever been this grateful for anybody before. Right now I'm following Becca into the forest near the ruins. Neither of us are speaking, and she is moving rather swiftly through the tree branches, as though she's been here a million times before. I'm grateful to her because she could tell I was uncomfortable at Tails' workshop and even lied to get us out of there. I may not know much about Becca, but I can tell she doesn't enjoy lying much.

"Here we are." Becca finally speaks, drawing me out of my thoughts. I look up at the area that she led me too, only to lose my breath at the sight. It is a part of the Mystic Ruins that probably helped name the place, as chunks of collapsed, dirt covered marble littered the shimmering green grass. But what is even more spectacular is the glimmering blue lake that rests in the middle. It is calm, the waters completely unmoving until Becca sits down beside it and dips her finger in.

"Come on." She says, tapping the ground beside her. I walk over to the lake and sit down, the calmness of the area making me feel a lot better.

"How did you find this place?"

"I… don't know. I guess it found me. It feels like this place has it's own magic, doesn't it?"

I find myself nodding semi-subconsciously as I look at my reflection in the water. My fur is as soft pink as ever and in the sunlight it seems to shine. I put on a smile and find that is illuminating and just the look of it on my face makes me feel so much happier. Next I inspect my eyes, looking so deeply into them that I can see the hurt hiding behind there calm jade color. As I take this image in I can't help but wonder, _'I think I am pretty, others think I'm pretty, so why doesn't he?'_

Once I finish asking myself the question Becca looks up from her own inspection of her face. I wonder what she sees when she looks at her reflection. It must be hard for her, having to bear not only her emotions and her problems, but those of everyone around her.

"So, do you want to tell me what's wrong?" She asks, her voice gentle and calm, not in the least intimidating. She's sitting patiently waiting for my answer, but I can feel her inner-child becoming impatient inside.

"I… not really." I tell her, and I see her frown.

"Amy, you can't ignore your feelings forever. If you love him, really love him, then you should never give up."

"Becca, it's not that simple." I sigh.

"What makes it so complicating then?" She asks as though I am mistaken and she's trying to teach me something. For some reason, her words make my blood begin to boil.

"Have you ever been in love before?" She shakes her head and I turn away from her.

"Then you will never understand! You don't know how much it hurts, to love someone so much, with all of your being, only to see them smile and realize someone else gave them that happiness! You don't know how it feels when he runs away at super speed as soon as I get within a 100 ft of him! You have no idea!!" I yell, tears burning at my eyes and rapidly sliding down my cheeks. Becca remains absolutely silent, staring out at the lake as though she were a statue. When the silence grows even heavier between us, I turn to look at her and see the tears sliding down her reddened cheeks.

"Becca…" I whisper, but she ignores me and stays staring at the water.

"You're right… I will never understand." She murmurs softly before rising.

She turns around and, before she takes a single step, asks "Do you need my help to find your way out?" Her voice is low and she sounds like her throat is scratched and raw. I shake my head and answer "No, thank you."

Then she walks away, her long black hair and bat wings making her easy to spot for a while. Right before she's out of earshot, she speaks once more.

"I'm sorry Amy."

And the thing is, I have no clue what she's sorry for.

* * *

In my opinion, this chapter is pretty good, except for maybe the part at the end. Tell me what you guys think and let me know you're reading!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	8. Chapter 7 Sonic

You may have read this chapter earlier, but after I re-read it when I posted it I found it was… bad. Actually, horrible is more the word. That inspired me to completely change the ending of the story, an alternate ending which I though of last night. Unfortunately, it's not a very happy ending.

So, on that happy note, here's chapter 7 (8). Same disclaimer as previous chapters. Rating and genres have changed.

* * *

Ah, good old Mystic Ruins. It feels good to be back, you know? I just finished my usual 3 laps around the ruins and I'm currently resting on a cliff. Not that I need a rest, I think as I take a deep breath of the air, scented with pine trees and wet grass. No, I am taking this break to reflect on the events of the last few weeks. Yes, I know that I'm not one to live in the past, but too much is going on in my head to ignore it all. So I sit down and think.

The first thought that comes into my head is, obviously, of Elise. Yes, the princess of Soleanna and, I guess she's the one I have to thank for my being here. It's not my fault she kissed me, I was dead at the time. But somehow I can't help but feel sort of guilty, especially when I see Amy Rose. When she came to see Tails, Knux, and I after we got back, I couldn't help but notice how reserved she was. It kind of bums me out, seeing her like this. Not that I like her or anything… or do I? I spent so long telling myself that I didn't care for her, that I couldn't love her, I'm starting to wonder weather that's the truth. I sigh heavily, and suddenly my ears perk up as they hear leaves rustling. It's that girl Amy introduced us to earlier, Becca I think. She walks over and sits down next to me, but says nothing.

Now I'm confused, mainly about why Amy's friend is sitting beside me when I haven't said to full words to her. Actually, I kind of ran off when they got to the workshop. Finally she speaks, her eyes focused in front of her, not looking at me.

"She's heartbroken, you know?" Wow, that's blunt. But the way she says it, not in the least offhandedly, but rather with a hard, knowing, and concerned tone, makes me feel like an icy dagger is being shoved straight into me. _'I broke her heart?' _I can't help but wonder, guilt spreading through my veins from the source of the dagger's strike, my heart. I have nothing to say to that, so Becca continues

"She has done nothing but love you, and now her heart is so heavily fractured it may be beyond repair."

"But it's not my fault! I never asked to be kissed by Elise, I didn't want it! I was dead at the time, it's not like I had a choice!" I defend myself, but Becca simply shakes her head, black bangs moving back and forth.

"It's not only that, it's all those times you ran, all the times you left her behind, all those times you brushed her off as though she was a bothersome fly. That kiss was just the icing on the cake. She's lost all hope in her love."

I bite my lip and think about all those times I ran away from her. I never realized how much I was hurting her; actually I didn't realize I hurt her at all. After all, she always came back with a huge smile on.

"What should I do?" I ask, incredibly confused.

"Well, you should go talk to her." She says simply before walking away.

She's right, I should go apologize. Taking a deep breath, I get up and leave Mystic Ruins.

Here I am, standing at Amy Rose's front door. _This is it…_ I think as I gently rasp my fist against the wood.

"Who is it?" Amy says; her voice flat and depressed.

"It's me Ames, can I come in?" I can feel her hand stiffen on the other side's doorknob before she answers "No." Now her tone is filled with rage, but I refuse to shrink away; after all it's my fault she's like this.

"Amy please, can we just talk?" I'm practically pleading, but she doesn't cave.

"Talk?! About what, about how you broke my heart! Or about how you didn't even care that you were doing it!?"

"You're right… I was wrong to do it, but I want to apologize, so can we please talk?" I ask once more, but to no avail.

"I'm done talking Sonic." She says and I can hear her footsteps as she walks away, leaving me standing outside her door, alone.

* * *

Well, that's the revised chapter 7. It's very short, much shorter than the original, but it didn't want that scene to be too long. Oh, and about the revision of the story, it's not only because the original chapter sucked, but rather because I didn't know how to fill the chapters in between chapter 8 and the ending of the story. This way I know everything until the ending. Please review.

crimson-obsidian-rose


	9. Chapter 8 Amy: Becca

Hey guys, I'm finally back with Chapter 8. I'm really sorry I took so long, this story had me confused and I sort of lost interest in it for a while. I didn't know how I was going to write it, but now I've got everything figured out and I guess it's all good. Thanks to everyone who's reading this and reviewing it. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Disclaimer: Don't own Amy Rose or Sonic, or anything you've seen in the games.

Claimer: Do own Becca, Medusa, and Narcissa.

* * *

_Knock-knock._ Oh great, another knock on the door. As if he hasn't disturbed me enough for one day. Can't he just leave me alone!

"Sonic, get out of the building or I'll call the cops!" I yell, hoping that he would go and never come back. It would make life much less complicated.

"Amy, it's me, please let me in." I hear Becca's voice coming from the other side of the wall. I calm down for a second, but then a thought hits me and my blood starts to boil again. I open the door and say "It was you, wasn't it?"

"It was me what?" Becca asks, looking confused. As if she doesn't know.

"It was YOU who told Sonic to apologize!" I yell angrily. Her face freezes for a second; she looks a bit afraid. But right now I'm too angry to care.

"Amy, I'm sorry, I was only trying to help yo-"

"Help me? And you think it's helping me to make Sonic come check on me?"

"Amy, I could tell that you missed him and no matter how much you deny it, you still love him…"

"Shut up! I don't care about Sonic anymore." I insist harshly.

"Please don't lie to yourself, I know you still care, my powers-" Her voice was getting quieter, but I heard everything she said.

"So, because your powers tell you something, it's automatically true. Hey I'm Becca, I have powers that allow me to stick my nose in other people's personal lives and mess them up even more. You're powers don't make you special, they make you a FREAK!" I exclaim, but immediately I regret it. Because once I get the word 'Freak' out, tears start dripping out of broken eyes at a rate that could parallel that of the Niagara Falls.

"Well, if that's how you feel…" She whispers so quietly I have to read her lips to understand. She turns and walks out of the door. "…goodbye."

"Becca, no, I didn't mean it." I call after her, but once I get to the door to follow her she's gone. I can't believe I was that cruel, how could I degrade her like that. And she was so afraid of telling me her secret in the first place; it's like she wasn't sure if she could trust me with it. Well, she had all the right to be so secretive, I mean, look how I treated her. And all she was trying to do was help me. God, I'm such a loser.

Grabbing my keys from off the couch, I run out the door. I have to apologize and hope this gets fixed.

Becca POV

My vision is obscured by a million tears and I can't see anything except for blurs of colors, but that doesn't stop me from running as fast as my feet can carry me. The sting in eyes, the dizziness, none of it hurts as much as the pain in my chest. Amy was the first friend I ever made, the first person I ever told my secret too, and I'm starting to regret every minute of it. The worst part is I liked having a friend, I loved spend the day at Amy's apartment, watching silly soap operas and laughing at the characters problems. I even enjoyed shopping with her, just because we always had a good time. Or at least, I did. But never again, I'll never try to make friends with anyone ever again. Actually, I wonder why I even tried to befriend her. All I had to do was protect her and keep her soul safely inside of her; I could've done that from afar.

My eyes are so blurred that I don't noticed a small chao floating right above me until I smash into it, causing it to fall to the ground. I fall to me knees and finally wipe my tears. As my surroundings come into a better perspective, I notice I'm across the street from the train station. I pick up the small creature that I knocked over, but almost drop it once I get a better look. It's a dark chao, but the very tips of its hands and feet are grey.

"Medusa? Are you okay? Why are you here?" I recognize the chao, she belongs to Narcissa. I wonder how she managed to get out of the house; Narcissa never even let her out of her room. Medusa holds up a folded piece of paper; a note.

_Rosabella,_

_You are to come to my house with the girl tomorrow afternoon._

_It is very important that you show up, otherwise there will be horrible consequences. I am expecting you._

_Narcissa_

I place the note down after I read it, both confused and angry. Her cold voice and evil demands are the reason why I left in the first place, why does she think I'll listen now? And why she is so urgent, is it something that important. But what gets me the most is this: '_otherwise there will be horrible consequences'_. It makes me feel like someone will be hurt if we don't go.

'_Oh no!_' I think_. 'Amy!'_

"Medusa, do you know anything about this?" I ask, petting the chao gently on its head and watching as the grey section grows a little lighter. When I first met Medusa, she was completely dark and filled with spite. Now, I'm the only person whom she's nice too. I guess that's because I'm the only person who's been nice to her.

"Chew-chew" She says, her head shaking bad and forth rapidly. Her eyes are wide and slightly fear-filled, and that, along with her worried tone, tells me nothing good will come out of this meeting.

"What do you mean? Is Narcissa planning something?" The little chao nods so hard I think her head's going to fall off.

"Chew-chew-chew." She says rapidly and my heart sinks to my stomach, where the acid starts to burn it.

Because what Medusa said is this: _Narcissa wants her soul._

* * *

Oh, a cliffhanger (sort of). I know the role of the villain hasn't been too great so far, but soon the action will start and everything will start to change, I hope.

Please review with your opinions!! (Or just to say 'hi' that's nice too).

crimson-obsidian-rose


	10. Chapter 9 Becca: Shadow

I'll keep this short; thanks to everyone who's reviewed (except for that one anonymous flamer) and I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's fairly short, but I don't think it's too bad! Same disclaimer as before.

* * *

I can't believe it. I mean, how can I believe it, Narcissa is the one who'd told me about the threat to Amy in the first place. It makes no sense for her to tell me of her intentions and want me to go against her.

"Are you sure?" I ask Medusa, and she answers with a sad nod.

"But why… why would she tell me about it?" I ask aloud, but then I realize there's something slightly more important I should be worrying about. What am I going to do tomorrow, the day Narcissa seems to be planning an attack. Is she even going to attack? Oh, it's so confusing, what am I supposed to do?

Taking a deep breath, I attempt to clear my mind. Okay, about tomorrow, I obviously can't go to Narcissa's house, she's expecting us there and she probably thinks I don't know of her intentions. But then where can I take Amy to make sure she's safe?

After a minute of thinking, it comes to me. The lake! Narcissa doesn't know where the lake is, so we'll be safe there for a while. I hope…

"Medusa, I need you to go find Amy. You know what she looks like, right?" I address the chao, and she nods.

"Good, go find her and…" How am I going to give Amy my message? I look around to try and come up with something, and spot the sheet of paper in Medusa's hands. I take the paper from her, and using a pen the chao is carrying (_Why_, I wonder), I write a note on it.

"…give her this note, okay?" The chao agrees and I remember one other thing.

"Medusa, please don't tell Narcissa anything okay? If she asks you weather I'm coming or not, lie and say that I am. Please, please, do it for me." I beg, and she responds my wrapping her small arms around my own, larger arm.

"Thank you." I say, and Medusa flies away, clutching the note tightly in her hands.

"_The lake…" _The words are swirling in my head. _"The lake of tattered souls…"_

Shadow's POV

The lake of tattered souls… a lake so strange, rumored to have such mystical powers that most people don't believe it to be more than a myth. Such naïve people; just because something lacks sense that doesn't mean it can't be true. Because of that, I've never seen another person here, which is why I've taken to spending a lot of time here. The silence, the serenity, it gives the lake an air of mystery. I look into the lake's water. Not a single ripple or imperfection visible anywhere on its surface, but when I look deeper into the water, the recurring blue pattern in broken by a swirl of red, dotted with specs of black, resting between the lake's surface and bottom.

Of course, I already knew it was there, after all, I'm the one who placed it. But my gaze never leaves the color, something about it seems…different. Every time I look at it, the area is stationary, but today the color is moving, causing a disturbance in the normally still water. My eyes remain fixed upon it until I hear a sound. The sound continues to grow louder; and it's now clear that it's the sound of footsteps. For the first time since I've seen this place months ago, another person is approaching. Immediately, I stand straighter, my hands forming into fists, my eyes focusing on the opening in the trees that serves as the entrance.

But in walks a girl who's immediately looks up at me in alarm; I'm guessing she also wasn't expecting to find anyone here. But there is something odd about her, upon seeing me her ears straighten up and her eyes lock onto me. It actually looks like she's in a trance, obviously not a happy one. Because the next thing I know, her hands are on her head, pressing her ears down onto her skull so hard it appears like she's trying to meld them. Her eyes shut tightly, an expression of pain etched on her features. But soon her face is completely invisible, covered by sheet of black hair. Next, her wings wrap themselves around her body _tightly,_ making it look like she's wearing a black straight jacket, and she seems insane enough to need one.

I didn't realize I've been standing here and staring, until now, because her body starts to fall forward quickly, as though she tripped over something large. Immediately I move, because for some reason I don't want to see her fall.

'_It's probably because of her condition…' _I tell myself as I run up to her, but I get there to late, and she falls on the side of her face. Blood begins to mix with the dirt on the ground, and I can tell she's grazed her cheek. And now that she's on the floor, a black fox's tail is visible; straightened completely as though she is in danger. I kneel down beside her, wondering if I should do anything.

Fortunately for me, her tails falls limp and her wings begin to unravel themselves again. She looks up, liquid as clear as the lake's water dripping from crystal blue eyes, the tears mixing with the blood and dirt on her cheek.

"How… how do you handle it?" She asks, confusing me. I don't answer, and she asks again.

"How do you handle the pain?" This time, her meaning is much clearer, but her question catches me slightly off guard. I close my eyes, wondering if I should tell her. Under any other circumstances, I'd walk away and ignore the person; after all, it's my life, my secret. But the look on her face, so desperate, tears still streaming down her cheeks, keeps me hesitant. But it's not only that, there's something else about her. Something un-nerving… it makes me feel like my control is slipping. Making up my mind I stand, walk to the lake, and gently place my hand on the surface of the water. The girl walks up, stands beside me, and I see her eyes light up as she looks at the water. I look back too, and a frown forms on my face. The color is still swirling, actually, it's moving more rapidly than before. I wonder what's causing it too move… such an odd occurrence. Again my head turns away, and I find myself looking into the eyes of the girl. Her eyes widen, and I can swear her cheeks were red as she turns back to face the lake, her hair covering her face yet again.

"So… you used the power of the lake. Which part of your soul did you give up?" She asks, and I am now positive she knows exactly what the lake is. I don't want to tell her, I don't want to tell anybody, but after a slight hesitation the answer finds its way out.

"…love…"

* * *

So… what'd you guys think?! Did you like it, hate it; think of it as a waste of time? Tell me your opinions! Personally, I loved it at first, but after I re-read it, it seems odd. If you have any suggestions on how I can fix that in later chapters, please share them. And if anything in this chapter confused you, tell me in a review and I'll try to explain best I can. Thanks for reading!!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	11. Chapter 10 Becca: Amy

Here's chapter 10! But before you start reading, every time a conversation is written in italics that means it's a flashback. Yeah, flashbacks!! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Same as always.

* * *

"…love…" The ebon hedgehog answers, and for a moment my heart drops. But then I think about it; what better to give up. That memory, he was watching someone he loved be shot, her blood was spilled all over the floor, and her last words… she died to protect him. The best way to get rid of that pain, to make sure that he would never suffer like that again; he must have figured love was the factor that caused all that suffering. And without the love, it wouldn't hurt as much; it could never hurt as much. As I watch the swirl of color move I think:

'_This is the magic of the lake… to help heal a scarred, tortured soul.' _I've actually never seen what a soul fragment looks like in the lake, after all, only the person who left the soul behind can choose who can see it. It's strange, no matter how many times I've pictured it, it never looked with this. This is so… incomplete, destroyed, battered, it looks horrible. I swallow hard, is this really what I want to do?

I shake my head, it's not weather I want to do it or not, I have to do it. It'll make everything easier, and if it'll help me finally use my powers for good, so be it.

You know what else is strange? If you're allowed to choose who gets to see your deposited soul fragment, then why did this hedgehog allow me, a complete stranger, to see his soul? He was obviously unsure about it, and why wouldn't he be, I must have looked awfully strange when I was reading his soul. My hand finds its way to my left cheek, which has been throbbing since my powers have died down. I wince, it feels raw and tender, and when I look at my hand again I see my glove is covered in blood. Instantly, I put my hand in the water and the blood vanishes.

'_The lake of tattered souls…'_ I remember the first time I heard the story of the lake as though it was yesterday, although I was probably only 8 or 9 years old.

* * *

'_Rosabella, have you ever heard of the lake of tattered souls?' _Narcissa asks me while I am sketching a picture of a rose, my favoritest flower.

'_No, what's that?'_ I ask, placing my pencil and paper down and looking up at the old woman.

'_Well, legend has it that there is a hidden lake with mystical powers… great power.' _

'_What kind of power?' _

'_The lake has the power to sense a person's soul…'_

'_Like me?' _I asked, hoping that the lake has powers like mine. I don't like having such weird powers, I don't like being so alone.

Narcissa nods _'Yes, like you. But the lake has more power than just that. When it senses a soul in a person that is hurt or weak, it calls out to the person.'_

My eyes get really big and Narcissa laughs a little laugh.

'_It calls out to the person because it wants to help them.'_

'_But how can it help them, it's only a lake?'_

'_Rosabella…' _Her voice becomes scarier, like she's starting to get mad. I don't want her to be mad at me. _'…this is no ordinary lake. This lake has the power to help people heal, because it has the ability to take a part of their soul away.'_

What? The lake steals people's souls? That's kind of scary, how can it help them.

When Narcissa sees my face, she continues,

'_Rosabella, the lake isn't hurting the person… it's trying to help them. The person chooses weather or not they want to give up a piece of their soul, and they get to choose which part they want to remove.'_

'_But why would anybody want to break their soul?' _When Narcissa chuckled then, she confuses me. What's so funny?

'_When you're hurt, you'd do anything to get rid of your pain, right?' _I think about the question, than nod, agreeing.

'_It's the same with these people, they've been through so much emotional pain that they'll do anything to stop the hurt, including removing a piece of her soul.'_

After that, I stay quiet before asking one of the questions in my head.

'_But this is only a legend, right?'_

Narcissa looks around as though someone else might be listening and lowered her voice as she answered _'Most people don't believe in the lake, so they say it's not real, but believe you me, it's 100 real.'_

'_Where is it?' _Narcissa frowns a little and answers.

'_I do not know where it is, but rest assured I will find it one day.'_

'_Will you take me there? It sounds so wonderful.' _I ask her, and she smiles at me.

* * *

'_Looks like I didn't need her help to get here after all.'_ I think, snapping out of my memory. My memory, I haven't looked into my own memories in so long. They aren't exactly the happiest around, and there's no point in pitying myself when there are millions of other people who've been through worse. So I never look back at my own life. But now that I'm reminiscing, another memory forces itself into my mind, the oldest memory I have.

* * *

I am sitting with mommy now, and she's gently brushing my hair, very slowly so that the tangles don't hurt me.

'_Mommy, why did you name me Rosabella?' _I ask her, and she smiles nicely. Mommy is very pretty, I want to look like her when I grow up.

'_I love to plant beautiful flowers, right baby?' _She asked me, and I shake my head yes.

'_Well, roses are my favorite flower of all, but before you were born, my roses never grew big and pretty. But the year that you were born, that was the first year my roses were big and colorful. I loved the roses so much, and I love you so so much, that I named you after them so that'd you would grow big and pretty like them.'_

'_Thank you mommy!'_ I shout, and turn to give her a big teddy bear hug.

* * *

I chuckle for a second at how stupid I was back then, but I know that tears are threatening to fall from my eyes as well. Quickly I wipe them away, because although he is silent, the hedgehog is still here, and I'm sure I've cried enough in front of him.

My mind wanders away from my past and I think about Amy. I hope Medusa can find her, when I was leaving it sounded like she was coming after me.

When I was leaving… the whole reason I'd left is because she called me a freak. I can still hear her yell ring in my head and I feel a small jab at my heart. Biting my lip, I try to remind myself that she only said it because she was mad… but her words keep coming back to me.

"_Hey I'm Becca, I have powers that allow me to stick my nose in other people's personal lives and mess them up even more. You're powers don't make you special, they make you a FREAK!"_

I bite down harder on my lip, she's right. My powers are good for nothing, except making me nosy and hated. My powers are a curse… my curse.

* * *

"Becca! Oh, where did she go?" I still can't believe what I said. I mean, my being angry isn't an excuse for making someone feel like dirt. But what makes me feel the worst is the tone she used, so quiet and hollow it sounded like it was an echo of something, like the girl that I'd come to know was fading. But fading into what? Probably the person she was the day I met her, quiet, secretive, and sort of in her own world.

But you know what really, really gets me? How she still managed to speak through the tears, especially in a clear, albeit quiet, voice. If I were in her spot, I probably wouldn't be able to speak at all, much less speak without letting my sobs get in the way. The way she was so in control of her voice, it makes it seem like she's… used to it. Used to being let down. That thought makes me feel really, really mad at myself, and I call out again "BECCA!"

No answer, but a lot of people are staring me like I'm insane now. Hey, where am I anyways? Looking around, I realize my thoughts have taken me far, far away from my house, into downtown Station Square, the complete other end of town away from the train station. I wish I at least knew which direction she had gone in, but she had left no clue as to where she was.

This is when I realize something; I know absolutely nothing about Becca. I don't know where she lives, or where she likes to hang out, or anything that friends usually know about each other.

"Becca!" I yell again, but this time I get an answer, just not from the bat-fox hybrid I was seeking. It's an old woman, a raccoon, with a weathered face and worried expression.

"Did you say you were looking for a Becca?" The old woman asks, and I nod.

"So am I, would it be alright if I joined you?" She smiles, but it sends a slight shiver down my spine. Something about her isn't right.

"How do you know if we're looking for the same Becca?" I point out.

"Ah, true. Is your Becca, by any chance, part bat part fox?"

"Yes, she is."

"Well then, I'm pretty sure it's the same girl." She smiles again and my ears twitch, causing me to turn around, just in time to see a small black and grey chao approaching at 7 miles an hour, which is pretty fast considering its size. The chao stops when it comes next to me and looks up.

"Chew."

"Hello sweetie, what's up?" I ask, petting the chao on the head and watching its color lighten slightly. It squeaks again and holds up a note.

But before I can take it, the old woman's hand reaches out and snatches it from the creature, saying "Medusa, don't you know who your owner is?"

"This is your chao?" I ask, wondering why she sounds mad at her chao.

"Yes, Medusa is mine, and I believe this note is mine."

"But it has my name on the front…" I say, pointing at the writing on the outside of the folded paper, which clearly reads, 'Amy'.

The woman reads it and looks surprised for a moment, but she quickly covers it up and says "Your name is Amy? Yet another similarity, I should think, for my name is Amy as well."

She opens the note, and once she starts to read it, the chao snuggles against my arm to gain my attention. I look to find sad eyes and her head shakes 'no'.

But I never get the chance to figure out what she, Medusa I believe, is trying to say, because the old woman looks back up from her note.

"It's from Ros- Becca." She says, and I'm immediately aware that she almost said the wrong name. That's odd. "She says she's waiting at the lake."

"The lake?" I repeat, and immediately I mentally insult myself. Now it seems obvious that Becca would go there.

"Yes, but I don't know where the lake is, can you lead me there?"

The woman has a gives me a warm smile, and I nod my agreement. The chao nudges my arm again, but I still don't understand what's wrong.

"Wonderful, thank you sweetie."

Now we're on the train to the Mystic Ruins, Ms. Amy on my left and the small chao in my lap. The silence is eating at me, so I decide to ask a question that's been bugging me for a while.

"Um, Ms. Amy, how exactly do you know Becca?" She stays irresponsive for a moment, but snaps out of it.

"Oh, hasn't Rosa- Becca told you? I'm her mother." No way, that's impossible. I start to get a bit suspicious. I mean, what kind of mother forgets her daughter's name and doesn't know enough about her to know where she'd be when she leaves? But then, this would explain why Becca is so hesitant, Ms. Amy is like that as well.

'_Don't be so quick to judge, Amy,'_ I remind myself.

"But if you're her mother, than how come she's not part raccoon?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me, and Ms. Amy gets a bit flustered.

"Um… her father, yes, he was half bat-half fox and that genetic combination over-powered my raccoon genes. But the black of her hair, that came from me, her father was all white."

I don't know, that story seems a bit… farfetched. But I decide to give her the benefit of the doubt, I still a bit guilty for what I did before, both to Becca and, now that I think about it, Sonic too. I wonder what he was trying to tell me when I shot him down. What ever it was, it seemed really important to him…

Lucky for me, Ms. Amy speaks before I get too wander into the subject of the blue blur.

"Amy, I just want to thank you for befriending my daughter, she's always been so shy, it's hard for her too speak up and introduce herself." I beam, this woman is definitely Becca's mother, she obviously cares so much for her well-being. But guilt strikes me as well; once Becca tries to make a friend, I insult her in the worst way, by manipulating her insecurities.

"No problem, Ms. Amy, no problem at all." _I hope…_

* * *

First off, I'd really like to thank all of my (coughthreecough) reviewers. You guys have really inspired a lot of what's in this chapter. For example, you can thank azngirlchibi for the flashback where the lake's power is explained, because she wanted to know more about it, and you can thank RikkuMcClowFox more Narcissa meeting up with Amy and tricking her, because something she'd said in her review gave me that idea. And you can thank them, along with Ciel the Hedgehog, because they're reviews inspired me to get this chapter up faster. (It was supposed to be up before, but I kept getting error messages, ugh). Thank you guys so much!!! And everyone, please review!!!!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	12. Chapter 11 Sonic: Shadow

Hey guys, sorry I took so long… I had absolutely no clue what I was going to write. Then yesterday I got sick of writers block, so I sat at the computer and, oddly enough, words started cranking out so quickly I managed to finish the chapter in one day, and I'm actually quite proud of it. Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing (except Becca, Narcissa, and the Lake of Tattered Souls); it all belongs to Sega and the Sonic Team.

* * *

When the going gets tough, the tough go running. Well, at least I do. The feel of the wind as I rush into it, the sound it makes as it pounds against my ears; it clears all of the thoughts in my mind. This is when I feel more alive than ever.

I guess this is why I love running so much; it helps me forget.

'_Hold on, what was that?'_ I look back over my shoulder, and see that I just ran past Amy. But not only is it strange enough that she's here, but there's an old lady, a raccoon, with her.

Looking back at Amy, I can see that she's looking straight at me, even though I'm still running pretty quickly. I stop, and turn around so that I'm facing her. Her eyes are slightly watery, I can see that from here, but I don't think she's crying. Good, because I wouldn't know what to do if she was. Not that I know what to do know.

"Amy I…" I start, but she puts up a hand to silence me. My heart drops to my stomach; she's still mad at me.

But life has its surprises.

"Excuse me a moment, Ms. Amy." She says to the old woman next to her, who smiled and nodded before taking a step back. Then she walks up to me and asks "Yes?" I can't tell if she's mad at me or not, her voice only sounds a bit impatient.

"I… I'm sorry." I confess very nervously.

She's not saying anything… why isn't she saying anything?! I look back at her, but she's looking up at the sky. For a second I wonder if she even heard me, but then she turns back to me, her lips turned into a slight frown.

"What's wrong?" I ask immediately.

"It's just… I'm not sure if sorry is enough. I mean, I know that you mean it, and I want to forgive you, but…" Her voice cuts off and I think I hear her stifle a sob.

"When does the situation become so broken that 'sorry' can't fix it?"

I want her to forgive me, that's the truth, but her question reminds me that I'm being selfish. I've done so much emotional damage to Amy's heart, for years I've kind of been leaving her behind. I guess she has all the right not to forgive me, but I don't say that aloud. I don't say anything at all, mostly because I don't know what to say, but also because I don't have much a say in this anymore.

"I don't know anymore, I still love you, but I don't WANT too. And I want to forgive you, but I don't think I should." After she says that, she looks at me, but remains silent. I think about what she's said, and I know what I want to say.

"Amy, I'm truly sorry for…for hurting you and you have all the right not to forgive me for that…. But can we still be friends?" To be honest, I don't know if I'd have ever said that before; I guess it true that you never realize how important some one (even an obsessive admirer) can be until they're gone.

It obvious that the forces that be have decided that they have tortured me enough, because Amy smiles and answers "Sure." And, for some odd, unknown reason, it feels like 2 ton cinderblocks have been lifted off my shoulders.

"So, who's your friend?" I ask, pointing at the old woman.

"Oh, come on, I'll introduce you!" Yes, her spunk was definitely back. We went back to where Amy left the lady and said "Ms. Amy, this is my friend Sonic, Sonic; this is Ms. Amy, Becca's mom." No way, it's not possible that this woman is the bat-fox girl's mom. Not only do they not look a thing alike, but this woman has something really strange about her, it's kind of hard to describe, but she's definitely NOT Becca's mom. But I don't point this out, and the old lady speaks.

"Ah, your 'friend'…" The old woman has a smile on her face, and it's obvious as to what she's hinting at. Normally I'd just ignore her, but, strangely, I can feel heat rise into my cheeks.

Amy handles the situation, though "Yes, Sonic is my friend." She says it so calmly, and the fact that she didn't laugh like she normally would shows me that she doesn't like me anymore.

"Why are you guys in the ruins?" I ask, and Amy looks a bit downcast.

"Sonic, Becca ran away."

* * *

Again silence has taken over the atmosphere at the lake, and I'm relieved this girl is nothing like that Rose girl. She's so quiet; it's easy to forget that she's even here.

I have come to this lake everyday since I discovered it, but I first heard of it on the A.R.K. The computer back there had millions of databases, but it was the one about the lake that had drawn my attention. But the article about it had been so small, it not only lacked information, but the writer had wasted most the space emphasizing that the lake was only myth, and nothing more.

But it was how I found the lake, that's what really puzzles me. I had lost my way, it was my first time in the Mystic Ruins, but I had continued walking. Eventually I found myself here, with no clue as to how I'd found the lake that was considered by the general population as a legend.

"Uh…" My ears twitch as I hear the small voice sound from beside me. I turn to the girl beside me, to find she's looking at me.

"Umm, can I please… ask you something?" Her voice is so quiet, and I can sense that she's extremely afraid. I choose to ignore that, and nod my answer to her question.

"If you knew someone that you… care about… was in danger… what would you give up to protect them?" My muscles tighten, my jaw clenches, and my hands form into fists instinctively when I hear the question. Earlier she seemed to know something of the pain I've felt, so why would she be asking that?

She moves away from me, seemingly more afraid than ever before, and tear drops are sliding off her cheek and hitting the dirt covered ground. I exhale deeply, and despite everything I've ever done or believed it, I show what is, in my opinion, weakness.

"Everything that I could." After I say that, the girl's crying only gets harder, the sound of stifled sobs filling the air, and she lets herself drop to her knees. Slowly, she lifts her left hand up, and gently touches the surface of the lake, forming a faint, but growing, glow.

* * *

What'd you think? Please review!! Oh, and suggestions are always nice too…

crimson-obsidian-rose


	13. Chapter 12 Becca

Here's chapter 12, which, considering the reviews I've gotten, I'm guessing it's the one you guys have been waiting for. Hmm, maybe I should've made you wait a little longer…

Nah, I'm just kidding!

Disclaimer: Hold on a sec, I own everything in this chapter… wait, I don't own Amy Rose or Shadow the Hedgehog… dang it.

* * *

The tears are streaming down my face hard, blurring my vision; and I am trying my best to ignore them. My arm is reaching out, I want it to touch the lake; it is my salvation. But the tears are too strong; my arm is shaking too madly; neither of them, and no other part of me, wanting to touch the mystic water.

'_For once in your life don't be so afraid… For once be strong… ' _But no matter how brave the words might sound, they are very weak, practically brittle, coming from me. It sounds like I'm begging, pleading, in my mind, with myself. _'How pathetic...'_

Still my arm refuses to fully extend, so I exhale deeply and relax all of my muscles, except for my right arm and knees, which are holding me up. When I inhale, I collect all of my energy, which I use to thrust my left arm out completely, and before my mind can intervene, I press the tips of my fingers gently against the lake's surface. A ripple forms in the water beneath them; I can feel its vibrations move through the lake, even though I cannot see it through my tears.

From that ripple a ray of light appears, and as the ripple expands so does the light. It's extremely bright, the intensity causes my eyes to shut, the last of my tears sliding out. Slowly, my eyelids open again, but the light is much too strong, so I decide it's safer to just keep them closed.

'_Hello Becca.'_ A voice rings through my head, the strangest voice I have ever heard. It is like nothing I have ever heard in my life, nothing I could have ever even imagined I could hear. It is neither deep nor soft, rough nor gentle, and it both strikes me with unimaginable fear and completely soothes me at the same time. Taking a slow, deep breath, I open my mouth and attempt to answer, but no sound comes out. Puzzled, I try to speak again, but nothing happens.

The voice chuckles and a shiver runs down my spine.

'_No Becca, here we communicate through thought.'_

'_Hello, um…'_ I don't know how to address this voice, I realize.

'_I am the voice of The Lake of Tattered Souls. I know that you are known now as Becca. I also understand that you have come to the lake, to me, seeking help.'_

I nod my agreement, but than remember the lake has no eyes to see me with.

'_Yes, I need your help. I would like for you to remove and hold a piece of my soul.'_ I think, and I can hear that even mentally my voice is shaky.

'_A living thing's soul is what keeps them alive, it is meant to be left intact. Breaking a piece of it off, no matter how small, will cause damage to not only your soul, but to your life. Becca, your soul has been and still is more delicate than anyone else's, because of the powers that you were born with. Think carefully before you finalize this decision, because once you make it your soul will never be the same, even if you bring both parts back together. Don't make the wrong choice when the right one will work for you.'_

I listen to and understand the lake's warning, but I don't heed the advice it gives. For years, since I first learned of the lake, I have always contemplated using its power. I know all of the dangers, all of the bad that using it can do, but I also know that this is what I must do.

'_I am sure this is what's best. I am not doing this for myself, and I don't care what the effect will be, as long as I can protect her.'_

'_Yes, I am aware… you wish to help Ms. Amy Rose. This is very noble of you, but you know you don't have to split your soul to save her. That isn't the only reason you are here, is it?'_

Its right, of course, saving Amy isn't the only reason I'm here. That would mean that I am strong; that I am a hero, but I guess that's the lie I've been telling myself. The truth is, I am nothing but a coward, afraid of living around other people. I am weak too, giving in to my fear and letting it control my life.

'_You came here to give up a piece of your soul because you believed it to be the easy way out without actually leaving.'_

I'm too afraid of death to leave that way, but life is too hard for me to keep going.

'_So think carefully, is this truly what you want to do?'_

My face remains dry, but on the inside the tears are ripping through me. Apparently, crying is not possible here either.

'_The pain will go away… and I will die a hero this way. Yes, this is what I choose to do.' _My mental voice grows firm, and I heard the lake give a soft sigh.

'_Very well, if this is what you choose, I can no longer change your mind. Which part of your soul will you surrender?'_

This, too, is something I've been contemplating for a long time, and as I got older my mind has always changed. But now, my answer is ready.

'_My emotions.'_

'_All of them?'_

'_Yes, all of them.' _I am confident in my choice, but the lake sounds oddly uneasy.

'_You do understand that this means your soul will now only consist of your memories, your powers, and your life force, correct?'_

'_Yes, I do, and my answer remains the same.' _Stay strong, I remind myself.

'_Very well then…' _The voice says, and the ray of light that was surrounding me is shot directly at my chest, right beneath my heart, in the very center of my rib cage, the spot I know my soul rests.

It's pain beyond belief; beyond anything I've ever experienced in my entire my life. The urge to scream is irresistible, but when my mouth opens, the piercing sound is missing from the air. But I don't stop; I keep trying to scream, to get the pain out. This lasts forever, but I couldn't have been here for more than a few minutes. The light that hits me begins to fade away, taking the pain with it. Soon, it's completely gone, leaving me back in the dark.

I exhale, relaxing my tired muscles, and open my eyes. The first thing I see is the grass lying around me, or rather, the grass I'm lying in. I push myself back up onto my knees, only to find the hedgehog watching me. I look away, into the lake, and see the red streak is still there, only now it's joined by a crystal blue one.

'_My soul…'_ When I look closer at it, I can see streaks of other colors, red, black, and white, blended into the blue.

"Hey, you alright?" I look up at the ebony hedgehog, and when his red eyes meet my blue ones, the flashing images of his pasts appear in my minds eye again…

But there's something different about them now. They still look the same as before, the same people, the same events, the same pool of blood surrounding the young blonde girl, but they don't feel the same.

In fact, they don't feel at all…

"I'm fine."

* * *

Sorry it took while to get this up, I got distracted watching the Naruto Hundo this past weekend. I got so excited when I heard it was coming, since I was near the beginning of the series, at the Forest of Death part. I spent all Friday, Saturday, and Sunday watching, minus the last 4 hours Sunday because we had guests over. That's when I started typing this, so I'm not too surprised to find that Becca starts reminding me of various characters in this chapter, what with her quest to be stronger. Although, now that I think about it, she was always going to end up trying to be stronger, because she spent her life hiding from her fears and letting them take over. I guess it just took something this big to make her realize she needed to be more in control of her life.

Wow, that's deep. I've definitely watched too much Naruto. Ah well, it's seriously inspired me and now my plans for the future of the story make sense. Cool!

* * *

Okay, after re-reading this chapter I have to say… I haven't lived up to my own expectations. Maybe it's because I'm the one writing it that I expected a lot out of this chapter, but to me, it seems so pathetic. And no matter how many times I look it over and fix parts, it doesn't seem as 'WOW' as I want it too be. If anyone has any ideas on how this could've been better, I REALLY want to hear them.

Please Review!!!!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	14. Chapter 13 Amy: Becca

I really don't have a lot to say now, so let's just get to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own any Sonic characters. Oh, and remember that song Becca sang back in chapters 1/2, I don't own that either. It's "Hold On" by the Jonas Brothers.

Claimer: I do own Becca, Narcissa, and Medusa the Chao.

* * *

"Here we are." I say, standing outside a small gap in between the trees of the forest. This is the entrance to the lake, and as I look at it now, I'm still curious as to how Becca found it. After all, the forest is thick with massively tall, lush trees, and the path you have to take is completely masked with their shadows. The path is also narrow, so narrow that I'm positive Eggman wouldn't be able to get onto it.

"This is where the lake is?" Ms. Amy asked, and I'm sort of surprised that she seems more concerned with the lake than with her own daughter. I nod my agreement, being very careful because the chao Medusa is sitting on my head, and walk into the trees, followed by Ms. Amy and, surprisingly, Sonic. I have absolutely no idea why he decided to come with me, before this I had to threaten him to get him to come anywhere with me. I'm starting to get the idea he's doing this to prove he's sorry for leaving me all those times, but, I don't know, it's really confusing. I take a deep breath to clear my thoughts and then I hear a voice.

"Yes, I'm okay." It sounds like Becca's voice, only there's something, different about it. Wait, who is she talking too? There's another person who was able to find the lake? Moving a little faster, I finally reach the end of the 30 yard walkway.

The bright green color of the well-kept grass hits me first; the contract of its light shade against the darkness of the trees I just come out of causes me to close my eyes for a second. After I walk in to make room for Ms. Amy and Sonic, I open my eyes again in the direction of the lake. But what I see causes me to close my eyes and shake my head, this must be a hallucination.

Becca is sitting at the lake's edge, I expected that, but what I didn't expect is to see Shadow, sitting right beside her, making _eye contact_ with her. Whoa.

But I'm not the only one who's surprised. Sonic, who's standing right beside me, is looking at them, and for once, he's actually speechless.

It's Medusa who reacts first, practically leaping off of my head where she had previously playing with my headband and flying toward Becca at a chao mach speed. The small creature attempts to glomp Becca, but only succeeds in attacking her arm.

"Medusa…?" Becca questions when she sees the chao. I was right about her voice being different, but I can't tell why it's changed. It's also strange, Becca didn't get all shy about being that close to somebody, much less Shadow, when before she seemed so closed and reserved.

"Oh, Becca, my child!" Ms. Amy exclaims, running up to her daughter and grabbing her in a huge hug. Instantly Becca reacted by pushing the old woman away… _WHAT?!_

Becca's POV

'_What the heck…What is Narcissa doing here?! Oh Chaos, this isn't good. If Narcissa has found this place, that means… well, I actually don't know what that means. But how did she know to come here, did she snatch the note from Medusa? Maybe…_

_Wait, even if she did snatch the note, how did she find this place, last I knew Narcissa had no idea where it was. Unless someone else led her here…'_

I look up after pushing Narcissa away, which I'm starting to think wasn't the best move since Amy is not only here, but is also

staring at me.

"Oh, hello Amy." I hear myself say, my voice completely emotionless, something I'm used to yet. I don't think I'll ever be used to it.

"Becca, what's wrong?" She's frowning at me; I guess I must seem very different to her. I look away from her and down to the floor, only to find a piece of paper that must have fallen from the old woman I accidentally knocked down. I pick the paper up, only to find that it's the note I had written for Amy. I'm guessing that she never got it.

"Yes my child, what's wrong?" Narcissa asked with what I know is mock concern on her face.

"You're what's wrong. You stole this note from Medusa, even though it's addressed to Amy, and then you-"

"Isn't you mom's name Amy too?" Amy interrupts me, and for a second I'm confused. But when I understand what she's saying, I shake my head.

"She told you that, right?" I ask, and the girl nods.

"Amy, she was lying to you. Her name, her real name, is Narcissa, not Amy, and she is definitely NOT my mom." I can believe that Narcissa told Amy that, but I can't believe that Amy was naïve enough to believe her.

"Wha-?" Amy asks, looking very confused, so I get up and hand her the note.

"Maybe this can help explain." She takes the piece of paper from me, and once it's in her hands Narcissa reacts.

"No Amy, don't read that note!" She says, a little too loudly, a little too quickly. Amy looks up at her and asks, "Why not?"

For once, Narcissa doesn't have an answer, and the look on her face admits defeat.

"I want to know the truth, and if it's inside this note than I'm gonna read it!" Amy exclaims, and she opens the paper. While she reads, I turn away from her and look at the other person who she brought along. It's the hedgehog hero, Sonic; he's eyeing the black hedgehog with an expression of disbelief. He's been like that for a while actually, his face might stick that way of he doesn't stop.

As I look at him, I really how admirable he really is, and not just because he's a hero. Actually, I think he's admirable because of something he did as a kid. I'm guessing that he was around 9 years old the year Eggman launched his first attack. He was trying to get all the anthros on South Island, and had already successfully either captured or killed a lot of them, including Sonic's parents. The young Sonic was completely afraid, staying rooted to his spot crying a waterfall of tears. But he didn't let Eggman win the battle. Instead, he somehow managed to find the courage he needed to stand up for himself and overcome his fear. I wish I were like that, instead of being so afraid.

But now that I think about it, I have gotten a lot stronger than I was before, and, although I hate to admit it, I have Narcissa to thank for that. I mean, it's thanks to her that I found enough strength to even talk to other people.

"_Come along, Rosabella, we're going out now." The old woman's voice rang through the upstairs hallway, but it was met with silence. Sighing, the woman climbed up the stairs and opened the second door to the right. It revealed a very plain bedroom, blue walls, a closet, child-sized desk, and a twin sized bed. On the bed there sat a young girl, her knees brought up to her chest and her large bat wings wrapped tightly around her body, rendering her arms useless. Her face was buried into her knees, and a sheet of black hair that reached the middle of the girl's back was the most noticeable feature of all, as was a black fox's tail._

"_Rosabella, we have to leave now." The old woman repeated._

"_I don't want to… please don't make me do it again…" The girl's voice came out muffled, but it was obvious that she was crying. _

"_You want to have more control over your powers, don't you? So that the memories don't hurt as much." The old woman asked and the girl answered_

"_Yes."_

"_So than you'll have to be more used to using them, this is the only way to help you."_

"_I don't want to use my powers, they hurt so much." After she said this, a sob came out of the girl, and her crying became louder._

"_Rosabella, this isn't the time for your nonsense, if you want the pain to go away you'll come with me." The woman's voice became sharper, and the girl immediately got up, afraid of the woman. _

"_That's better sweetie, now let's go." The woman's voice was soft again, and she gave the girl an affectionate pat on the head as the duo left the house._

She did that too me a lot, taking me to extremely crowded places, like the mall, or a train station. Since I had so little control over my powers, I was forced to go through each and every single one of there souls. It hurt so much that I kind of became a mute, never speaking to anyone, except Narcissa, and I was always afraid around her. I knew that she had some strange powers herself; she always managed to lock up her soul so that I wouldn't have to always read it, but now I think she was doing it more to protect herself than to help me.

"Becca…" Amy called, snapping me out of my reverie. "Is this all true?" I look at her face, and find that she's extremely disbelieving, she wants me to say that I made some of it. Actually, she has the same face she had 2 weeks ago, when I first told her about my powers. Wow, that was 2 weeks ago? It feels like it was just yesterday, like the past 2 weeks were all a dream.

Well, the dream's over, so I nod my answer. I remember the exact words I had written in the note:

_Dear Amy,_

_I'm sorry that I ran off like that, but now I need you to come meet me at the lake; it's urgent. There is someone looking for you, an old raccoon woman. If you see her, run really quickly in the other direction, run into a store, do anything, but don't let her find you, because she wants to hurt you. Actually, she wants to kill you._

_Becca._

"So, this woman, Narcissa, wants to…" She gulped deeply. "…kill me?"

Again I nodded, getting a grave look from both Amy and Sonic, and a surprised one from the black hedgehog.

But Narcissa doesn't deny it. In fact, once I nod, a grin grows on her wrinkled face and she begins to cackle.

* * *

Ooo, the action is starting! Yea, I'm just as excited as you guys are, because I want to see how this turns out. I feel bad for Becca though, the more I think about details for her past, the worse it ends up becoming. I'm so mean!

Please Review!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	15. Chapter 14 Sonic

I've listened to what you guys said in your previous reviews and I've tried by best to make this chapter a lot better. Personally I think it is, but I'll let you be the judge of that…

Disclaimer: No, I still don't own the Sonic cast… but someday I will! MWHAHA!

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Narcissa's MWHAHAHA-ing is still piercing the air, and I have to admit it's seriously annoying. What is it with villains and the evil laugh anyways, do they think it makes them anymore menacing? Actually, the laugh is usually more deadly than the weapons, considering it's so boring and long we can die waiting for them to finish.

Hold on, did they say "Kill Amy"? No one, especially not this weirdo old lady, is going to do that as long as Sonic the Hedgehog is around. Speaking of which, she's an old lady, how does she think she's going to be able to kill someone in her state of health. Why does she even want to kill her anyways, it's not like Ames has done anything to hurt her or something.

"Why kill Amy?"

"You mean Rosabella hasn't told you? Dear, dear, what a bad child, you didn't even tell your friend about the special powers of her soul…"

"What powers?" Amy asks, and I was just about to ask the same thing.

"Well, I suppose you should hear it from someone you trust, Rosabella, will you do the honors?" The old hag is smiling at the fox girl, but I thought her name was Becca…

"Call me by my name please."

"I am."

But what's-her-face doesn't give any sort of retort, she doesn't even look mad. Weird.

"Amy, your soul is different from anyone else's in the world. Yours is the purest soul, because it contains this… energy."

"Energy?" Amy repeats, and the girl nods.

"Yes, basically, it gives your soul the ability to heal not only itself, but the soul of anyone you come in contact with. For every bad memory or… emotion, your soul attaches this… sort of a happiness concentrate that makes the pain easier on the person." Wow, that girl sounds like a zombie, what's up with her?

"Very good, Rosabella, that's correct. Now, Amy Rose, you can do this the simple way and surrender your soul, but if you choose to resist, well, prepare to fight."

"Fight you? Wow, you hold yourself a little too high, don't you old lady?" I taunt, and the lady grins.

"Well than young man, I have to agree with you there. Which is why you won't be fighting me." Her grin grows wider as her hands begin to glow the same color as that radioactive stuff Eggman had in his base. Soon, splotches of that same glowing light come up on the ground. Creatures start rising from the circles, but they aren't robots, or anything else abnormal. In fact, they look just like,

"Aren't those just regular people?" Amy asks. But the old lady just keeps smiling and says, "Look closer."

By now Shadow and that other girl are also looking at the anthros, and the girl says "They're not alive."

"Yes, these are my children. You see, I have a bit of a bad habit of going into orphanages to look for… unique children. Kids with supernatural abilities, I make it my job to collect, or rather, adopt them, and help them shape up their powers. Then, when they're powers ripen in they're teenage years, it's very easy for me to snatch them away. Unfortunately, the process isn't very good for my children, and they end up dying. Very sad, really." Funny, but she doesn't sound sad. These kids look like zombies or something, they're eyes are all gray and fake, kinda like a dummy's, and now that I look closer, they're skin is gray-ish too. And she did this too them without even a bit of remorse, she's a monster.

And she wants to do this to Amy too. Well, I'm not going to let that monster hurt Ames!

"I knew it; you only adopted me to use me, didn't you?" The new girl asks, and her old woman answers "Yes," without even looking guilty. Heck, she's still smiling.

"She adopted you?" Amy asks, obviously shocked. But her friend just nods without taking her eyes off the old lady.

"Enough talk, give me your soul, girl, or I'll take it from you." The old lady demands frowning, obviously her patience has worn thin.

"No way, you'll have to kill me first!" Amy exclaims.

"Gladly." The woman answers, and suddenly her freaky zombie kids start moving.

"Time to rock and roll!" I can't help but exclaim as I dash up to the nearest target, a purple echidna, and throw a punch at its shoulder. But the freak doesn't even flinch, so I punch it again, harder, this time in the gut. That'll teach it to mess with Sonic the Hedgehog.

"What the hell?" I ask, because even after a blow like that all the freak did was stumble a bit, but it came back to its feet like 5 seconds later. I look up to see if anyone else is having better luck, but all I can see is Ames' hammer smacking a whole army of them, only to have them jump back up. The new girl, Amy's pal, she's not even fighting, although she doesn't look like she has any fight in her. And Shadow is just standing around and watching as usual. Probably thinks he's too good for this fight.

"Why isn't anything working?" Amy complains, and I wish I knew the answer.

But that old lady starts to laugh again; it really makes me want to go punch her in the jaw so that maybe she'll shut up.

"Isn't it obvious?" Shadow asks after a minute, and I really wish he would stop being so superior and just tell us what he knows.

"Isn't WHAT obvious?!" I ask, annoyed.

"Oh, normal attacks won't work on these guys; they've already died so they can't feel pain." The bat girl explains, and I realize how much sense that makes.

"So then how can we stop them?!" Amy is panting, probably from swinging her hammer around like a sprinkler. Come to think of it, I'm starting to get tired of this fight too, not that I'm going to quit or anything. Sonic the Hedgehog never quits.

"You can't stop them…" The old lady says and she starts laughing AGAIN. That's it, I'm going to knock her jaw off, that'll give her something to laugh about.

'_Hold it Sonic; don't go hit an old lady…' _That little voice inside my head that knows everything tells me, and I realize that you're not supposed to hit old people, no matter how annoying they are (except for Eggman, of course). Damn… what are we supposed to do now?

* * *

Hmm, was Sonic maybe a bit too... conceited? I hope not, I tried to make him as in-character as possible. And yes, Narcissa is a horrible and nasty person, isn't she?

Reviews are very much appreciated!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	16. Chapter 15 Becca

For this chapter, I decided to do something a little bit different. This chapter is from the point-of-view of the part of Becca's soul that's inside of the lake, as opposed to the regular outside, as she watches the events that happen in chapters 13 and 14. You can expect to see a very OOC Shadow, as the one that appears in here is also the one from the lake. If you can recall, the part of his soul Shadow dumped was love.

I only hope I did this chapter justice. It ended up being much longer than the last one, something I think you guys will like. And I still don't own the Sonic crew…

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Pain, burning, searing pain; I feel like someone took a blade made of flames and shoved it right through my chest; I have a feeling that this is what death feels like. The unbearable pain continues, and the feeling of reality begins to slip away from me (Or am I slipping away from it, I'm not sure), and the pain begins to die down. After it's completely gone, I can feel myself again, but I feel so empty, like I'm only a shell, or the filling, but I'm not both. I can also feel the floor against my body; it's not in the least wet like a lake is supposed to be.

It's only when my eyes open that I realize that they were closed, and when they do open a few rouge tears slide down my face. I wipe them off my cheek, then get up off of the floor, my eyes quickly scanning the space that I now occupy. The entire realm is pure white, not another spec of color is visible other than the colors of the other souls that are here. The souls look so... normal, like they could still be alive, except for one added feature. Each one of these bodies is surrounded by a colored aura, kind of like the ones that surround ghosts in movies. I look down upon myself, and find that my aura is the very same crystal-icy blue I see every time I look in the mirror, the same color as my eyes. I look back up at the nearest other body, only to find a brown aura around them that matches the color of their irises. When you think about it, that makes a lot of sense. After all, a person's eyes are the window into their soul, so it's only right that the souls themselves should share the color.

But the best part of being here is that right now I'm standing among a million served souls, but my powers haven't activated, not once. I guess they were left behind in my… the body I once inhabited. A smile graces my lips; finally there will be no more pain and suffering, neither physical, nor emotional. I'm finally free of the curse. As I think this, tears form in my eyes again, but for the first time in my entire life, they're tears of happiness. And for the first time, I don't mind letting them slide down my cheeks.

When I take another look at the souls that are in here, I soon realize that I'm the only one who's happy. Everyone else… they all seem to be… longing. Longing for what, a body? Maybe… maybe after you've been in here for so long, you want your life back. But I don't understand, if they're in here that means they've suffered. Why would you want to go back into suffering when you can be free?

Suddenly, a strange question crosses my mind. What happens to a soul in here when its body dies out there? With the quantity of souls in here, I don't think they're able to leave. Sorrow rushes through my veins, some of these souls could've been here for hundreds of years, no way to escape and not even complete. I guess I'm the lucky one here, I have all of my emotions with me, but I'm willing to bet I'm the only one. Maybe this is why the lake was so forceful in its warning; once you're here, you're imprisoned for all eternity.

"Huh, you're here?" I hear a voice ask from behind me, and the first thing that strikes me is its familiarity. But as much as I know I've heard it before, I can't place who it belongs to. I turn around, only to discover the black and red hedgehog it'd met outside, only now with a crimson aura outlining his figure. But even though he looks the same, his voice is… changed. I mean, out there it sounded so cold and uncaring, but in here he sounds so much… kinder.

"Um, yes, I'm here. But how do you know me?" I ask, but the hedgehog simply gestures for me to follow him. He takes the lead and I make sure that I stay behind him and not beside him. He doesn't comment on this; actually, he says nothing until we reach our destination. He goes over and stands next to a… mirror? Why is there a mirror in here?

"Come here." The hedgehog instructs, motioning for me to move closer to it, and him. I walk slowly, and take special care to make sure I'm not to close to him. I'm not sure why, but the idea of standing next to him makes me feel incredibly nervous.

"If you look in here, you can see what's happening to your body in the outside world." He explains, and my curiosity automatically gets the better of me. I place my face up to the… vortex , I guess that what it is, and what I see sends my heart straight up into my throat.

I see myself, sitting on the edge of the lake, dirt and blood is still all over my face, staring straight into the eyes of the scarlet- streaked hedgehog. My heart is pounding crazily from nervousness and shock, so I immediately pull my face out of the tangible mirror and exhale deeply. What the heck is wrong with me, uh, her… has my other half completely lost her mind?!

I turn to see how he reacted, but he's still looking in the mirror, seemingly unfazed by what he just saw, and that's something I'm incredibly grateful for. When my pulse is back to normal, I look in it again, only to find that Amy finally made it to the lake. She's not alone, though, the blue hero Sonic is also with her, and, hold on, is that Narcissa?! Oh chaos, this isn't good at all, we asked Amy to come to keep her away from Narcissa.

"_Becca, what's wrong?"_ Amy is saying, and Narcissa repeats "_Yes my child, what's wrong?"_ My child? What is she saying?

"_You're what's wrong. You stole this note from Medusa, even though it's addressed to Amy, and then you-"_

"_Isn't you mom's name Amy too?"_

"_She told you that, right?"_

"_Amy, she was lying to you. Her name, her real name, is Narcissa, not Amy, and she is definitely NOT my mom." _

"_Wha-?"_

"_Maybe this can help explain."_

"_No Amy, don't read that note!"_

"_Why not?"_

"_I want to know the truth, and if it's inside this note than I'm gonna read it!"_ Amy takes the note from me… the other Becca… and starts to read it. I pull my head out again and sigh in relief. The note is going to set Amy straight and hopefully I… Becca… can pull something off to protect her. I mean, if Amy dies… I won't be able to stand it. She was the first person to ever, **ever**, treat me with true kindness, the first one to show me what friendship is. _'Please Becca, find a way to help her.'_ I pray silently, knowing that Narcissa is going to put them through hell if she has to, anything to get Amy.

I can't resist the urge to look back, so I do, and find that Amy has finished reading the note.

"_Why kill Amy?"_

"_You mean Rosabella hasn't told you? Dear, dear, what a bad child, you didn't even tell your friend about the special powers of her soul…"_

"_What powers?"_

"_Well, I suppose you should hear it from someone you trust, Rosabella, will you do the honors?"_

"_Call me by my name please."_

"_I am."_ Narcissa smirks, and I wish that Becca would punch her. Hmm, maybe she should have kept anger.

"_Amy, your soul is different from anyone else's in the world. Yours is the purest soul, because it contains this… energy."_

"_Energy?"_

"_Yes, basically, it gives your soul the ability to heal not only itself, but the soul of anyone you come in contact with. For every bad memory or… emotion, your soul attaches this… sort of a happiness concentrate that makes the pain easier on the person."_ Amy is struck speechless, as is Sonic. Hasn't she noticed that everyone she comes in contact with becomes gentler? I mean, I remember seeing something in her soul… she managed to convince the black hedgehog, whose name I am wishing I knew, to join the hero side, to help save the planet. Hasn't she realized that nobody else could've managed that? I'm not sure that I could do

anything like that… if I was in that situation we'd all be dead now…

I continue to watch the scene as it plays before my eyes, but nothing really catches my attention until this:

"_Yes, these are my children. You see, I have a bit of a bad habit of going into orphanages to look for… unique children. Kids with supernatural abilities, I make it my job to collect, or rather, adopt them, and help them shape up their powers. Then, when they're powers ripen in they're teenage years, it's very easy for me to snatch them away. Unfortunately, the process isn't very good for my children, and they end up dying. Very sad, really."_

"_I knew it; you only adopted me to use me, didn't you?"_

"_Yes."_ For the third time I pull my head out, this time because tears are threatening to fall. I know Narcissa is cruel and evil and a horrible shrewd, but to come outright and admit she never wanted to adopt me, that really hurts. I can still remember the day she showed up to the orphanage to adopt me, it refuses to leave my memory no matter how badly I wish it would.

"_Hello, welcome to the Gemstone Town orphanage. Have you come here to adopt a child, ma'am?" The owner of the orphanage's name was Francesca, and this is how she greeted everybody who came through its doors, always asking them if they wished to adopt with a hopeful tone. Not that she wanted to get rid of all of the children, but she wanted them to all have good, caring homes. Usually her question was answered with a 'no', but today she got a very rare 'yes' as a response. Instantly she reacted, placing her broom down against the wall and grabbing the clipboard she used to hold all of her important papers. After that she looked up at the woman who had come. She was a raccoon, very old, but her warm smile made her seem like a grandmother. _

"_Come right this way ma'am, we have a lot of children here who could use a nice home." Francesca said as she led the woman into the bedrooms. The two women traveled through the house, with Francesca constantly pointing out children and the old woman saying that's not the child she was looking for. None of the kids looked too sad though, for the most part they were used to this sort of rejection. It was when Francesca opened the door to the bedroom of 4 young girls did the woman stop her. All of its occupants were present, one of them on a small bed and the other 3 around her bed. Once the door opened they ran back to they're own beds, smiling like angels. Francesca sighed, the girls had been bullying Rosabella since she had first arrived 4 years ago, but not once had she asked them to leave her alone._

"_In here we have Caroline, Katherine, and Carly." She named the girls, pointing at them as she introduced the cat, rabbit, and mongoose females. All three girls continued smiling largely, but the old woman wasn't looking at them. She was focused upon the little girl who was silently crying on her bed. _

"_Hmm, and who do we have here?" She asked, and Francesca was taken aback. Nobody had ever asked about the little bat-fox before. _

"_Her name is Rosabella, but I'm afraid she's a bit of a problem child." _

"_How so?" The old woman asked, still eyeing the weeping 8 year old, who had raised her head a bit to look at the old woman. _

"_Well, we've had her here for 4 years, but no one has ever heard speak a word. Her parents didn't mention it, but I do believe she's mute. And she spends almost the entire day crying, I have no idea why."_

"_Rosabella, do you think you can tell me how old you are?" The woman asked, and the girl looked up at her with intrigued eyes. Silently, she held up eight small fingers. _

"_Very good sweetie. Now, Ms. Francesca, if you don't mind I would like to adopt Rosabella." The old woman said, and Francesca's mouth fell open. She never thought she'd see the day when this silent wallflower got adopted, at least not for a few more years. She shook her head to clear it of these thoughts and asked "Okay, what is your name, ma'am?"_

_The old woman was still focused on Rosabella when she grinned and answered "Narcissa." _

"Hey, you alright?" The voice of the hedgehog greets me as the memory ends in my mind. I look back up at him, only to see a new emotion etched on his face… is that concern? I could never imagine this expression on the hedgehog I met back at the lake, yet there it is. Just seeing it makes me realize that this isn't the same person that's on the outside, and I wonder, have I become a different person too? I mean, now the outside me, she doesn't act like me at all… it's like looking at my face and seeing a stranger. It doesn't feel at all right…

"Huh… yeah, I'm alright." I say, trying my best to wipe my tears without drawing too much attention to them, but that's basically impossible to do when the person you want to hide them from is sitting right beside you. Lucky for me, he chooses to ignore them.

"Hmm, what's your real name?" He asks, and at first I'm confused. But than I remember, the other me asked to be called by her real name as opposed to Rosabella.

"Becca. What's yours?" I ask, grateful that I finally got the chance to ask.

"Shadow." Shadow… the name fits him perfectly, mysterious, and yet…

"Becca." The voice of the lake echoes around me, and immediately I snap out of my thoughts. I look up and around, but I see nothing. So the voice is only a voice, both outside and inside of the lake.

"Becca, it would seem as though you will be needed outside… very soon."

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Hey, did anybody notice that both Beccas think _'Oh, chaos'_ when they spot Narcissa? That was a complete accident; I didn't realize it until I looked for the older quotes. Oh, and if you're concerned about the slight OCxShadow, don't be, it's practically one-sided. Practically…

So, what'd you think of this chapter? Press the pretty purple button down there and share!!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	17. Chapter 16 Becca: Amy

Sorry for the long wait guys, I was caught up with the first week of school and my other fic, "Project: Silhouette. But I know you guys are gonna love this chapter (at least, I hope you do!!)

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My eyes are currently scanning the scene, nothing looks good.

Narcissa is still laughing, an evil glint in her eye; an Amy and Sonic look worn out, but they are still fighting. I guess Amy is pretty much doomed. I mean, they are undefeatable, they can't feel pain, they won't get tired, actually, there isn't any fault I can find in them.

And if we can't fight them, we can't beat Narcissa. If we can't beat Narcissa, then she'll take Amy's soul.

Wait a minute… we only have to defeat her so that she can't take Amy's soul. And the only reason she wants Amy's soul… is because of its purity and power. But if we could find a way to… de-purify… Amy's soul, than there would be nothing in her that Narcissa wants… right?

So now the question is… _how do we stain her soul_?

And while I'm trying to come up with the answer, my eyes stop on the lake. Perfect, I can ask the lake for help, it probably knows how I can help Amy. So I reach my hand out and touch the surface, this time with ease, as my emotions can't get in the way.

* * *

'_Welcome back, Becca.'_ The voice of the lake says. _'How can I save Amy?' _

'_Ah, you've gotten right to the point. Very well, tell me what you know.' _

'_I know that Narcissa wants her soul only for it's purity and energy, so if there is a way that her soul could be stained, would that work?'_

'_Yes, that would work…'_ But the lake doesn't say anything else.

'_So then… what should I… how do I stain her soul?'_

'_Using your own.'_

'_What do you mean…?'_

'_Becca, tell me, what is left in your soul now that it has no emotion?'_

'_My powers and my memories.'_

'_Only your memories?'_

'_Huh?'_

'_They aren't only your memories, they are the memories that came out of every soul you've ever read, correct?'_

'_Yes, but how can that help.'_

'_Those memories, along with your powers, they've tattered and stained your own soul. So…' _But after that the lake stops talking, so I'm guessing it wants me to finish the sentence.

'_So… you want me too… you want me to use my soul to hurt Amy's.'_

'_You did tell me you were willing to die like this, no?'_

'_Yes, I did… and I still do.'_

* * *

A strange light forms around me, and when it fads I'm back at the edge of the lake.

"Rosabella dear, are you alright? I don't want you to die out on me. At least, not yet." Narcissa said, at first sounding concerned but finishing her statement off with a grin.

"Narcissa, nobody, NOBODY, is going to die at your hands anymore… not today, not ever again." I spoke, the words coming out softly, even though they should be angry. But there is no more anger in me, neither that nor happiness nor anything else.

"Those are big words coming from such a small mouth. And how do you plan to back up that claim?" But I don't answer her, before I can a strange sensation takes over me body. Everything feels cold all of a sudden, so cold my body starts to shake. I try to stand, only to find that I'm swaying, the world around me going blurry. And I can hear myself breath; the sound is so loud I can't hear anything else.

'_Fight it… stand up and fight it.'_ My mind calls, and my gaze drops onto my hands. They're glowing, surrounded by blue light.'

"Becca, Becca, are you alright!?" Amy's voice, it sounds so far away, and so worried.

"amy… i'm sorry…"I say and I hold my hands straight up at her. Even through my blurry vision, I can see the blue stream of light shoot out of my arms and hit the pink girl in her chest. But the force of the beam is to powerful, it's pushing me back. Just before I fall into the lake, I can feel my wings shoot open, and before I can even register it I'm flying. For the first time in my life, I'm flying, but I don't feel free at all. The blue ray that is my soul is still forcing its way of me, and the pain in my chest is incomparable like a zillion flaming needles being jabbed into it one by one. I can't longer see anything anymore, and I no longer have a voice. My sense of reality is fading too, now only two things exist, the power in my hands and the pain in my chest. The power in my hands… the pain… in my chest… my… soul…

* * *

"amy… i'm sorry…" Becca whispers, and she looks like she's suffering. Her body is moving while she's standing, she's obviously dizzy and she's crying harder than I'm ever seen before. Her breathing is hard, like she's having trouble with it, and her hands are glowing the same color as her eyes.

"Becca, what's wrong!" I exclaim, but she doesn't say anything. Instead her hands come up, and she shoots that blue light straight at me.

And in that instant I'm torn away from the world. The light send me to new place, a plain white room, and I'm all alone in the corner. But soon a new energy is in my body, running through all of my veins like electricity. The sound of screaming soon surrounds me, and filling the hollow room with the sound of suffering, and I look to find Becca is in the other corner. But once I see her, my can feel my ear muscles tighten and my eyes get bigger.

A waterfall of memories floods my mind, each with a set of emotions attached to it. I can see everything from my eyes, but this is not my life. I can see a woman, a fox, with pale white fur and blood colored eyes, looking at me with pity and overwhelming sadness- mom. And a man, a bat, with pitch black fur and terrifying yellow eyes, he's looking at me with disgust and anger, and I feel like trash- father. But these aren't MY parents… they're the parents of the person who the memories belong too. These are Becca's parents.

Instantly the flashes of my… uh, her… life pass through me, and with each new one there are a million more tears. The images keep rushing, of the man yelling at me, of the woman hiding behind the doorway watching, and my vision is blurred by my tears. I'm only a kid, I don't understand what's happening… why my mom never smiles, why my dad never seems happy with me, why my parents don't love me…

But than one memory comes up as a whole, not in fragments…

* * *

'_Welcome to the Gemstone Town orphanage, would you like to adopt a child, sir?' A woman says, and I wonder, what's an orphanage? All I know is that mommy is crying and daddy seems… almost happy, but he's still mad at me. _

'_No, I am not here to adopt, I do not need another problem child in my life. I am here to abandon this one.' Daddy yells at the lady, and he pushes me away from him and mommy very hard. Now my back hurts, and I don't know what's happening. What does abandon mean? Mommy cried harder when he said it, and the lady looks sad. _

'_Why, why do you want to get rid of your child sir?' The lady asked, and she sounds afraid. Did she say get rid of? Mommy and Daddy don't want me anymore? No, don't leave me!! I promise I'll be good; I'll even stop crying!! _

'_This monster is not a child, and she is certainly not mine. She has never once stopped crying, and she is always causing problems for me and my wife. I will not take care of such an ungrateful beast, so unless you take her she will end up on the streets!' I didn't know daddy hated me this much… and when I hear him I start to cry. 'See what I mean, why don't you ever stop crying!' He yells at me, and I only cry harder. The lady places her hand on my shoulder and turns to mommy._

'_What about you, ma'am, do you not want your daughter?' She sounds mad at mommy, but I want my mommy to want me._

'_My husband and I have both agreed you cannot raise Rosabella any more. It's so hard, to see your child crying and not be able to help her.'_

'_But by abandoning her at such a young age you're only making it worse.' The woman says, but I already know they are going to leave._

'_That is no longer our problem. So, is there any form I have to fill out so that we can be on our way?' Daddy is even more mad, so the lady gives him a paper. He scribbles on it quickly, takes mommy, and leaves me. I stand still, watching them leave and keep crying hard. When she's far away, my mommy turns her head a little, and all I can see is one red eye. I continue to cry, so the lady brings me closer to her and lets me cry in her leg. _

* * *

'_Oh… Becca…' _I can't help but think when the memory ends. Poor Becca, that was horrible, and she was so young. But the rush of memories doesn't stop there. Now it's not an adult who's doing the bullying, it's a group of kids my… uh, her… age. Then it's Narcissa, but all the memories still have something in common with the earlier ones… in all of them she was hurting.

But then a new memory shows up, and this time… she's happy. My eyes widen when I realize I have the same one: it's a memory of the day Becca and I met at Emerald Coast. And after that, there's one of… today. This morning, when I yelled at her, and attached to that was a feeling that I have only felt once before: heart-break. She was heartbroken then, and I'm stuck with a ton of guilt. _'How could I have been so cruel?' _But the memories keep coming, and the next one makes me smile. It's of when Becca met Shadow, and the emotion there, it was love. Shadow doesn't strike me as someone you could love, but still, it's so sweet!

But soon the memories came to an end, and the room went black…

* * *

So, how was it? While I was writing the climax, I got so into the story that my breathing got really hard (my sister thought something was wrong with me) and my heart started to hurt too… I could feel the pain Becca felt (I guess my OC and I are one, huh?).

Please Review!

crimson-obsidian-rose


	18. Chapter 17: The End?

A/N: You have been warned…

* * *

'_Tell him to let me back in…'_

'_I will…'_

Chapter 17- General POV

From the instant when Becca had gone wobbly, that was when the action had stopped. Narcissa had told her 'children' to hold fire for a moment, and she, along with Sonic and Shadow, could do nothing but watch as Becca transferred her soul into Amy's body. But when the last rays of blue light disappeared into the pink hedgehog's body, both girls collapsed, and the male hedgehogs reacted.

Amy's body was falling backwards, her head threatening to smash into the ground. Luckily Sonic had been only very few feet away from her when the fighting had seized, so within milliseconds he was behind her, and her unconscious figure was resting in his arms. The warmth radiating out of her body comforted him as he gently pressed her body against his. But what comforted him even more was her pulse, still beating with the same rhythm it had all those times she'd tackle-hugged him before. Sonic gently placed her down on the ground to rest, but once the contact between them had gone, he felt strangely cold. So he sat down on the grass and pulled Amy up against him, her head lying in his chest.

"Amy, Amy, wake up Ames." He said, gently nudging her arms, but she didn't react. So he lifted his gaze up to Narcissa, watching her to make sure she didn't try anything funny in the chaos. But Narcissa wasn't even looking at Amy; she was too busy watching Becca.

* * *

Becca had also collapsed when the light had faded, the wings that were holding her several yards up above ground level giving in. Her body plummeted, and it was easy to tell the by way her hair floated around her that she was falling quickly. Once Shadow realized that his instincts kicked in, moving him from his spot under the old oak tree before he could even think it. Only one thought was running through his mind… if she hits the ground falling with that much speed, the force of the contact would demolish her spine. And if she wasn't already dead, than she would be…

If Shadow had been one second slower, he would not have been able to catch her. But he did make it, and the girl's body fell right into his open arms, her long hair touching the grassy ground. Shadow quickly put her down and crouched down next to her. He placed his 2 forefingers up against her neck, only to be met with stillness. He pressed against her vein harder, hoping that he was wrong and that she wasn't dead… but no matter how hard he pushed against her throat there was none of the familiar rhythmic beat. She wasn't breathing either, the normal rise and fall of her chest was missing too. Once he realized that there was no denying it, this girl was truly dead, anger consumed the black hedgehog.

'_Why… why do these fools let themselves die? What do they accomplish, sacrificing themselves so that others can live with guilt…?'_

"Shadow, is she…?" Sonic's voice drew the hedgehog out of his thoughts, and he saw that his blue counterpart was holding an unconscious rose hedgehog. Shadow nodded bitterly before motioning his head towards Amy.

"No… she's okay." Sonic sounded relived, something that surprised the azure hedgehog himself.

"Rosabella… my daughter… she's dead?" This came from the old woman, Narcissa, and it made the blood of both hedgehogs boil.

"You don't care about that; you only took her in so you could bring her the same fate." This retort, surprisingly, came from Shadow, who was glaring at the old woman with contempt. But the old witch looked back down at the bat-fox, and a sliver of sadness flashed onto her face. But it was soon replaced with a causal look of curiosity.

"That may have been the reason, once, but I grew rather attached to the girl. She was different from all the others… she would do anything to be loved. That was all she ever wanted, to be loved…" Narcissa said, a look of nostalgia in her eyes.

But before anyone else got the chance to speak, a glow, icy-blue in color, formed over the surface of the lake. A figure was forming from the light, starting with blue and black sneakers, and finishing off with black tipped ears. Black hair was swaying gently in a non-existent wind, and tears were sliding out of crystal and ice blue colored eyes. But the form was not opaque, it was translucent, giving it the appearance of a ghost or spirit.

* * *

There, floating right above the lake, was Becca. Or rather, the piece of her soul that was left behind…

"Yes, that is all I ever wanted. But I never did get it, not from my parents, not from you, not from anybody."

"Oh, my sweet daughter, my dear sweet Rosabella, I'm sorry…"

"No, you're not sorry. At least, not for what you did to me, or to any of these other kids. You're only sorry because you lost two more powerful souls… mine, and Amy's."

"How?" This question came from Shadow, and once Becca looked at him her head snapped up to Amy's body.

She exhaled gently before explaining "Well, I took the remaining half of my soul, and fused it with her own. My mortal soul was lost, and Amy Rose's was tainted with my past… and powers."

"Powers?" This came from Sonic. Becca nodded and added "Soul reading powers." But she left it at that, and turned to Narcissa.

"But that is not all you're going to lose today. You see, the lake had asked me to do a favor, and I accepted. So Narcissa, thank you… for nothing." Becca's hands were glowing vividly, and she held them up towards the woman. The light surrounded Narcissa, binding her tightly until she was completely cloaked in it. Then, with a slight POP!, the light vanished, the old woman gone with it.

Becca smiled widely, her eyes still focused upon the spot where her foster mother had stood. _'Goodbye forever, you old witch…'_ She thought, tears of joy sliding down her cheeks. But the moment ended, and the girl brushed her tears away.

"What did you do to her?"

"She has caused too many souls to suffer, so I was asked to send her away. Far away, to a place where she would suffer just like the others had at her hand." And now that she mentioned them, Sonic realized that the other kids had all vanished, too.

"And now, I only have one more thing to do…" The girl held her glowing hands up again, aiming for Amy as she had only a while ago. But this time, the light was coming out of Amy's soul, and coming into Becca. This time there was no pain as the transition occurred.

Actually, Amy was opening her eyes again. When the jade green orbs were completely opened, the first thing Amy saw was the surprised face of Sonic the Hedgehog. But as the events from earlier came into her mind, she jolted up and stared straight into the face of the ghostly Becca.

"Becca… what happened?" The girl asked, her hand unconsciously resting upon her confused head. Becca's face turned into a small, tender frown, and answered...

* * *

"I… died Amy…"

The hedgehog girl's eyes widened in horror. No, this was not happening…

"No, no you did not!!!" She exclaimed, but Becca turned away, translucent tears sliding off of her face and falling into the lake, but there was no splash on its surface.

"No… you didn't die…" Amy whispered, but than she caught sight of the body lying on the ground beside Shadow, and the tears flooded out of her eyes and down her cheeks.

"Amy… don't cry… please don't cry over me… I'm not worth it…"

"Don't ever say that! You weren't supposed to die, not to save me. Please don't tell me you're really dead." But the bat-fox didn't answer; instead she too turned to face her body.

"So, this is what I look like dead… but why am I bleeding…?" Shadow turned down, confused because they're hadn't been any blood on her before (minus the bit on her face). But right in the center of her shirt it was clearly visible; a pool of crimson liquid had formed, but it didn't look normal. The blood hadn't formed a blotch on her chest; it had formed an image, the image of a fully bloomed rose.

"Forget it, it's not important… I have to go soon. Amy…" Becca said, and the pink hedgehog looked up at her friend.

"…please don't cry, okay? You should know that I couldn't have died a happier person, because I died protecting the first person to ever really care about me… I died protecting my first, and my best, friend. Thank you Amy…" But the rose hedgehog could only nod as Becca turned to face the cobalt hedgehog beside her.

"Sonic… take good care of her, alright? You guys need each other. And… don't stop being a hero, okay?" Sonic nodded his agreement, and Becca copied his gesture.

"Shadow… he wants to… needs to… come back. Sure, there will be pain, but you'll learn to overcome it… and you can't live like this. I can sense it; even if you can't… your soul is being torn… please…" Her voice had dropped to a barely audible whisper, and to Sonic and Amy the girl was making no sense, but Shadow heard and understood. He didn't respond though, and he showed no signs of having heard her. But he was thinking about what she'd said, and several moments later, he looked up from the ground and their eyes met. That was all the response the girl had needed, so she looked away from Shadow and said "That's it, there's nothing left for me here… goodb-"

"Becca, wait!" Amy exclaimed, and the hybrid female looked at her friend.

"You're here talking to us now… that must mean you're still alive."

But Becca looked down, her bangs covering her eyes, and shook her head 'no'.

"Amy, my soul still exists, that's how I'm talking to you, but it's trapped inside the lake. Only my body can take it out, but there is no life energy left inside of it… I'm trapped in here forever, and as good as dead."

"But there has to be a way… there has to be one…" Amy pleaded. Becca was upset at seeing her friend so distressed, so she ranked her memory in the hopes that there was something…

"Well… there is a legend I heard once… every soul is connected to something to in the real world, and that could act as a bridge between the soul and the body… but it could be anything… a rock, the wind, the darkness…"

"Than I'll find it."

"Huh?"

"I'll find it, even if I have to search everywhere I will find it!"

"But… Amy…"

"No, I AM going to find it and bring you back!" Amy exclaimed, but just as she finished her statement, the image of Becca's soul glittered as it started to fade.

"Oh, I guess my time here is up…bye…" The girl's voice had faded into a faint whisper, vanishing with her.

"Becca, no!!!"

But she was already gone.

* * *

Hmm, I wonder, do you guys want Becca to stay dead…?

crimson-obsidian-rose


	19. Chapter 18: Finale, AN, A Bonus Feature

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'd like to present the FINAL chapter of "Soul Curse" and I hope you enjoy it!! (After the chapter ends, keep reading for a special bonus feature "Stuff that was originally going to be in the fic but ended up being changed and/or removed!!")

Disclaimer: Same as the other 18 chapters… shnizle…

* * *

The wind is the most unique element; the only part of nature that can withstand and blow through both freedom and pain; the most liberating serenity and utmost sorrow. But the wind can also be neutral; blowing when there is nothing to be said and perfectly filling the empty space.

But this time the space wasn't empty; it was filled with the life, dreams, hopes, and aspirations of not only one girl, but of everybody that girl ever came into contact with. The wind entangled itself in her long hair, gently pushing the onyx strands out of there place before releasing them from its gentle grasp. But the girl was not the only one receiving the affection of the wind; the blank space was occupied by only one other thing; flowers. Roses, to be more specific, in every shade and hue possible, from the common, expressive red to the scientist engineered blue. The wind, gentle as it may have been, plucked the petals off of there stems and sent them flying into the space, filling the once plain world with the most sensational aroma and vivid color. And each one of those petals held something precious; someone's first hug, the warmth of a smile, the gentleness of love, or pain, tears, and suffering. To put it simply, those drifting petals held life… and death. The young girl stood straight up, head held high, eyes focused upon one specific petal. It was an azure petal, the deep blue color reminding her of her of deep oceans and twilight skies. But more than that, it reminded her of a hero.

But the blue petal drifted away, and soon a new petal grabbed her attention. This petal was crimson, the bloody color starting from the invisible edge of the petal and staying consistent as it rose. But when her eyes reached the top of the petal, the color had suddenly changed to ebony, the color of a dark night's sky… the color of death. Once the image of the petal as a whole reached her mind, her thin, small smile faded for an instant, before returning again, this time, a little bit larger.

But this petal also vanished with the wind, and when the girl's crystal colored orbs could no longer see it she turned again, only to have her attention caught by the last remaining petal; and the one closest to her.

It was the most beautiful pink she'd ever seen, so calm at the bottom that it could pass for white, yet as she followed the petal to it's tip, the color became stronger, more powerful, and at the top an intensely vivid shade that under normal circumstances would cause one to blink. But the whole petal together, calm on the bottom and excited at the top, caused the ocean colored eyes to twinkle with joy and weightlessness. She was free…

Deep within the forest in the Mystic Ruins there lies a secret, one that only a handful of people in the world know about; and it is the Lake of Tattered Souls. If you were to visit that lake today, the first thing that would catch your eye upon your entrance would be a small gravestone, with flowers buried into the ground beneath it. If you were too read the tombstone, you would notice that an original message was crossed out, and you would just barely be able to make out the letters

"BEC"

And around the old letters, you'd see a new message, neatly written in a small font.

"_A soul is the source of life_

_Happiness, Sorrow, Joy, Pain, _

_And death_

May all the souls forever trapped in the lake

Rest in Peace…"

And in front of this tombstone you'd find three separate flower groups planted; yellow roses, white roses, and in the center, red roses.

And if you were to turn your head to the left, you'd find a magnificent, sparkling lake in front of you. And you would also see the back of someone sitting at the edge of the lake; long, straight, onyx colored hair, large white and black pointed ears, and large curved bat wings. And if you listened closely, you might hear a whisper in the wind…

'_thank you…'_

THE END

* * *

Wow, it's been just under 3 months, but it feels like I've been writing this story for so much longer… There are few people I would really like to thank, and if it weren't for them, this story would have been completely different… maybe even on hiatus from lack of ideas. So I would like to thank (in no particular order…)

azngirlchibi: Wow, if it wasn't for her, this story would've been entirely different. My tense would've kept switching from present to past tense; and my whole entire story would be different because it was she who helped me to realize my original chapter 7 was… well, let's face it, extremely out of character and altogether horrible. Plus, her reviews helped me keep going with the story. Thanks so much!!!

Rikku McClow Fox: Again, if it weren't for her, the whole ending would've been different. I mean, it was something that she'd said in a review that inspired me to have Narcissa meet Amy before Amy found Becca. That was incredibly important to the ending, and I don't think I can express how grateful I am for that! And for your reviews, which are always fun to read! By the way Rikku, Becca says "Hi."

Ciel the Hedgehog: Wow, I was just re-reading some of your reviews and I have to say, they are incredibly awesome. From asking questions to inviting your OC's (give Ciel and Gemmi a huggle for me, 'kay?) to just telling me I've done a great job and motivating me to keep going, that is probably the best thing I could've asked for. Narf.

And thanks to all three of you, and to all of my other reviews for helping me finish what is in my opinion some of my deepest work ever (and definitely the longest!)

So now I'm adding a special feature to the chapter …

* * *

"Stuff that was originally going to be in the fic but ended up being changed and/or removed!!" (Wow, long title!)

Wow, everything about Becca's past changed. I had a hard time coming up with it, and in the very, very early stages of writing her dad killed her mom and was placed in prison for it… weird how things turn out, huh?

This one wasn't removed, it was just never stated. Narcissa is not only named after the mythological figure, she is related to him too. Narcissus is her brother, he was turned into the flower after he fell into the water and drowned, and she was given the ability to take the powers away from others. This ability made her ageless and immortal, but she first used it as an old woman, so she remained that way. So that's a pretty rough estimate of her true age.

There was no Lake of Tattered Souls until the when I was writing the chapter when it first appeared. No, not when Becca took Amy there, even then it was just a regular lake. I only created it then because I wanted a hidden, but scenic location. Figures that it would end up pivotal to the plot.

Shadow was never going to be an important character; he was only going to make an appearance to show Becca's powers at their worst. And, oddly enough, that brief appearance of Tails and Knuckles in the beginning? They were supposed to be the important characters… I guess they swapped roles with Shadow…

Becca wasn't going to die. I don't exactly how it was going to end, but she was never going to die. The idea came to me one day and I couldn't find a better way around it, so I had to use it. So the question is now… is she really back, or was that her spirit? I guess that's up to you to decide, but to me she's back. I'm not sure that she'll make another appearance in one of my fics, she might, but it won't be as big as it was here. Speaking of which, her full bio is now posted in my profile, and she is now a lendable OC to anyone who wishes to borrow her (with permission!)

And because Shadow was never important and she was never dead, while I was developing her character Becca had a crush on a different Sonic character, Silver the Hedgehog. I was actually going to write another thing that takes place after this where a Chaos Emerald transported her into his world on its own accord and… no, the idea doesn't sound too good now.

This was never removed either, it was only implied though, so it needs some explaining. Obviously Amy, Sonic, and a very reluctant Shadow left the roses there (Amy convinced him there with the power of her tears and his guilt… sort of). But who left which group? Think about it, yellow roses mean friendship, red: love, and white mean simplicity. So who left which bouquet? That's up to you; tell me what you think in your review!

I can't think of anything else now, so that's the end! So come on people, please review with your feelings on both his chapter, and the story as a whole! I really care about your input, and I want to thank everybody whose read this story, it means an awful lot!!

Thank you all so much!!!!!!

Your friend and fellow author,

crimson-obsidian-rose


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